tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40806335077865670332016-09-07T21:20:55.199-07:00Running WildEnjoying life through runningAdam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080633507786567033.post-57256836100419917652014-10-13T10:49:00.001-07:002014-10-13T11:01:00.785-07:00Thoughts from a MarathonAs I sit here on Monday morning, looking back on yesterday, I can't help but smile. I have many feelings - happiness, relief, a little bit of melancholy - I had such a wonderful time yesterday and really, the marathon itself and achieving a goal was only a part of what made it so great. Here's my marathon recap, in nauseating detail, both for the benefit of remembering this day later on and for those of you out there, like me, who like reading about this sort of stuff.<br /><br />I barely slept on Saturday night. Leslie and I have been binge-watching "Walking Dead" and we were at the end of season 4 so we didn't actually go to bed until 11pm.. I tossed and turned for a couple of hours and finally managed to fall asleep around 1am. The alarm went off at 4:15 and oddly enough I popped right up, no grogginess. I went downstairs, started the coffee, changed into my race gear and then ate a breakfast of a bagel, a banana and a cliff bar. I double-checked to make sure I had everything I needed and then headed out the door at about 5:00am.<br /><br />I decided to take the train into the city - Metra was running an extra train early in the morning just for marathoners and it seemed like the easiest way to get down there. It arrived just a few minutes late, but we were downtown by about 6:15am. In 2012, when I last ran the Chicago Marathon, I remembered how long the porta-potty lines were and so as I was walking from the train station to Grant Park I was keeping an eye out for a bathroom. About 2 blocks from the Park, I passed a Panera that was open - there was ZERO line for the bathroom so I took care of business and continued on my way. It took about 10 minutes to get through the security lines, then I proceeded to the gear check area, shed my extra layers, dropped off my bag and headed to the corral. I realized at that point that I had about 20 minutes so I decided to brave the porta-potty lines. I got through the line with about 5 minutes to spare and made it into the jam-packed Corral B.<br /><br />Somewhere along the line of signing up for this marathon, I must have missed the part where you can send a qualifying time in for a particular Corral assignment. I'm not tooting my own horn here, but I should have been in Corral A based on my half-marathon time. As it was, I was assigned to Corral B and because I had taken my time in getting there, I was at the back of Corral B. If you've never been to a marathon, there are pace group for various goal times (3:00, 3:15, 3:30 and so on). Where I was in Corral B, I was near the 3:30 pace group. This wasn't a huge deal, but to put it into perspective, the people gunning for a 3:30 were looking to average about 8:00/mile and to achieve my goal, I needed to run 6:50/mile...which is to say that I knew I was going to have to dodge and weave for awhile.<br /><br />The race started promptly at 7:30 and it took me about 3 minutes or so to get to the start line. I had turned the auto-lap off on my GPS watch because I knew the watch was going to get off-track through the first part of the race (lots of underpasses, buildings and the like). Just as I had foreseen, I had to do a lot of dodging and weaving. I went through the first mile in 7:20 and was honestly quite frustrated at that point. Through the first 5-6 miles, there was a solid pack of runners and there are sections of the course where the road narrows (or turns at a 90 degree angle) and things get even more packed. I knew the pace I needed to be at and was getting frustrated that I wasn't even able to get an opening to try and settle into a groove. I was constantly speeding up and slowing down which uses a lot of energy. I was concerned that the yo-yo pacing was going to cost me later in the race.<br /><br />Enough bitching though. #marathonerproblems I went through the 5K mark at 21:52 which was 7:03/mile pace. It was behind where I wanted to be at that point, but not ridiculously so. I knew that I was going to see my cheering squad at Mile 4 so I was looking forward to that and keeping my mindset positive. I saw Leslie and Justin and gave them high-fives which was a great early-race boost. I knew I wasn't going to see them again till Mile 11 so my mindset turned to settling into a groove, enjoying the scenery and people-watching.<br /><br />By the time I reached the 10K mark I had made up of most of the lost time, getting my average per mile down to 6:56. I was feeling good and enjoying the energy from the crowds. In particular I loved running through the Lakeview, Park West and Lincoln Park neighborhoods. There were oodles of spectators, bands playing and people cheering. I had put my name on my singlet just above my bib so I was constantly hearing people say "Go Adam!" or something to that effect. It was great encouragement. I saw my cheering section again at Mile 11. Before the race Leslie had told me where she was going to be..."left side at 4, right side at 11" but for some reason I thought they were going to be on the left side at 11. So I see them but they are all the way across the street, so I quick dodged through a crowd of runners to give them high-fives. It was another great emotional boost and I was still feeling strong.<br /><br />Coming back into the downtown area from the north end of the course is, in my opinion, one of the best parts of the marathon. It's right before the 1/2-marathon mark and the crowds there are loud and all of the runners really get into it, pumping our fists and feeding off that energy. It's a great boost right before the last half of the race. I went through the halfway mark at 1:29:52 and I was happy with that. I knew it meant that I couldn't take my foot off the gas (didn't have much of a cushion to achieve my goal) but it also meant that I hadn't run too aggressively. I was essentially right on track with where I wanted to be, provided I could hold the pace steady the rest of the way.<br /><br />Miles 14-20 were pretty much a blur. Pain started to creep in and slowly ramp up after 15 miles. It wasn't anything serious, my legs were feeling tired and my hip flexors and feet were sore. The mental games hadn't started yet and I was still feeling positive. It was more just a concentration game to keep the pace steady and not think too much about how many miles there were left. I remember playing the "countdown" game to the next point I knew I was going to see Leslie and the gang (~Mile 21). I was also looking forward to going through the Pilsen and Chinatown neighborhoods which are another highlight of the course. Those neighborhoods combine enthusiastic crowds with ethnic flavors (and smells) which make it a truly unique area. By the time I got to Mile 20, I was in a good deal of pain. My legs, feet, and hip flexors were all yelling at me and the mental games were starting. When I saw Leslie and the gang just after Mile 21, I was so happy to see them. Leslie ran next to me for about 30-40 feet and was yelling "Go Adam, you've got this!" but I couldn't speak. In my mind I was thinking, "thank you!" and I wanted to tell her how good it was to see her, but I literally couldn't talk. I got really emotional after seeing them and I had to work to gather myself. Seeing them at that point of the race was by far the most important time that I saw them during the whole race. I needed that encouragement and I needed to see familiar faces. It solidified, at least temporarily, my resolve to keep pushing through.<br /><br />You might be wondering about the "mental games". I'm sure everyone experiences it differently, but it's that point in the race (any race really) where your body is yelling at you to stop or slow down and your mind starts to listen. Mile 20 started a 6-mile countdown in my mind. I was thinking of every possible external reason to keep pushing. "Do it for Addison", "do it for Leslie", "do it for all of the people tracking you via text message", "do it for all of those people who encouraged you during training", "do it because this might be your only shot to break 3-hours"...whatever I had to tell myself as an excuse to keep pushing, I was using it. At mile 23 I got a sharp, stabbing pain at the front of my 2nd toe on my left foot. I thought to myself, "how did a rock get in there?" The pain went away after a few minutes though and I quickly forgot about it until the end of the race. Miles 22, 23 and 24 are only of the only areas of the course where the spectators are sparse and so I continued to play the mental games and take things one mile at a time.<br /><br />When I got to mile 24 I think I might have said out loud, "OK, only 2 more miles". I was still on-track for my goal. I knew if I made it to 25, I would have it. Nothing was going to stop me in that last mile. It was as if my mind had attached itself to the idea of the finish line and from that point on, I was hell-bent on going as fast I could until I reached that glorious line. Unbeknownst to me, Leslie and the gang had proceeded to mile 25.5 to try and catch me one last time. I'm in the zone, I can almost see the finish and I hear people chanting "Adam, Adam Adam" and I look over and there they are. Leslie had gotten a group of about 20 people to chant my name. I gave a few fist pumps and then I wound up and threw an air punch (?) and almost fell over. My legs were toast at that point and the sudden motion threw me off balance. Fortunately I caught myself. I had to laugh - I narrowly avoided tragedy...<br /><br />When I crossed the finish line I remember stopping, but it's like my body was on autopilot. I almost ran into the person in front of me and well, it took a few paces to actually stop. As soon as I stopped running, my legs nearly locked up. It was like a scene out of a zombie movie...everyone who had finished around me was doing this very slow shuffle-walk...the Marathon Shuffle. My brother and I were talking last night about how finishing a marathon is so odd - you're running along one minute and 30 seconds after you stop, even the idea of jogging is unimaginable. Anyway, I got really emotional while I was walking through the finisher chute. It was a lot of things...relief, pain, thankfulness, that "i did it" feeling. I very slowly made my way through, got a bunch of water and other stuff, posed for the Marathon Foto people and got to gear check. Having been assigned to Corral B suddenly became a huge blessing. Because I had made my way past a majority of the people in my Corral, there was no gear check line for me. All of the people that had been in Corral A finished about the same time and were waiting in lines that were 30-50 people deep to pick up their stuff (probably about 1/2 an hour wait). I walked right up and had my bag within a minute. I was so thankful for that. In 2012, my bag had gotten lost and I ended up being stuck in the finishing area for 2+ hours till they found it. Needless to say, this time around the experience was 1000% better. I ambled my way and met up with Leslie and John and Justin and that was that - it was over.<br /><br />In terms of my own experience of things, this marathon was so much different than my first one. The biggest difference was the expectations. In 2012 I was content to let the race come to me. I was completely unsure of how it would go and what it would be like. This time I knew all of that, more or less, and had a very specific goal time in mind. The frustration I had at the beginning of the race was not something that I would have felt in 2012. I would say that this marathon was a lot more painful than the last one too. In 2012 I felt pretty strong the whole way, I got bored towards the end of the race and remembering just "wanting to be done". There was pain, but this time around was much more difficult at the end. In many ways, however, this marathon was very similar to 2012. The crowds were just as awesome, the on-course support (aid stations) were superior and I had a great cheering squad.<br /><br />As with any endeavor - I have so many people to thank. First and foremost, my wife Leslie. She is my biggest fan and that is such a great feeling. She was there on the course where she said she was going to be, she ran with me for a brief stretch and cheered me on when I needed it the most, and she recruited a group of random spectators to chant my name so that they would be able to get my attention in that last 1/2-mile. Not only that, she picked up the slack over the last few months in taking care of Addison during any number of weekend long runs (while training for her own 1/2 marathon no less), she supported me throughout the training and she is just an overall awesome wife and partner in life that makes me want to be the best person I can be. If it's possible, I think she's more excited about me breaking 3-hours in the marathon than I am.<br /><br />I also have to thank the others who came out to cheer me on, Justin, John, Julie and Steve. I'm thankful to my parents who not only took care of Addison while I was running the marathon, but our house is on the market and we had a showing yesterday at 12:30 and we weren't able to make it back in time to tidy up, so they cleaned everything up to make it ready for the showing. Our friend Kristen came over to help as well (at a moment's notice) and the three of them took a huge burden off our backs. I would also like to thank Woody, one of my running partners-in-crime who has encouraged me and run with me consistently since we met earlier this year. He himself is a sub-3 marathoner and his training insights and encouragement he offered over the last several months have been invaluable. Also, I'd like to thank my brother Tony for his counseling and support through this training cycle. He's a college track and cross-country coach and without his wisdom, support and depth of knowledge, there is no way I would have gotten to this point in my running. And lastly, I would like to thank everyone who supported me via DailyMile - the daily encouragement I find there makes it easier to getting through the rough patches in training.<br /><br />As for 'what's next' - I'm not really sure. I'm going to take at least a few days off of running, until the soreness is completely gone and I can walk normally again. I would like to shift my focus back to racing shorter distances - 5K and 10K and improve my times there. I did, in fact, Boston Qualify (BQ) for this first time with this marathon result...but honestly, I don't think I'm going to actually go and run the Boston Marathon. As cool as that would be, marathon training is extremely time-consuming and with a small and growing family, training for marathons isn't the best use of my time. For now, I'm satisfied to have BQ'ed in the toughest age/gender division and I think that will be enough for me. That thinking could change - but I doubt it will.<br /><br />If you've made it this far into my novel about my 2014 Chicago Marathon, thanks for reading, hopefully it wasn't too boring! Oh, that rock that I thought was in my shoe at Mile 23, turned out it wasn't a rock, it was a blood blister than popped. Had a nice bloody sock afterwards. Cheers!<br /><br /><b>Official Finish Time:</b> 2:59:02<br /><b>Gender Place:</b> 838<br /><b>Age Group Place:</b> 189 <br /><b>Overall Place:</b> 959 out of 40,801Adam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080633507786567033.post-84726090339897216352014-10-03T13:19:00.000-07:002014-10-03T13:19:22.780-07:00Going All InIt's 9 days away now. When I think about it, my heart starts to beat a little faster...I can feel the heavy thumps in my chest. Months of preparation, 14+ weeks of focused training. Countless times asking myself if I think it's possible to achieve the goal I have set before me. Race day is almost here - the 2014 Chicago Marathon is almost here. My goal is to run the marathon in less than 3 hours and I believe it's possible.<br /><br />The title of my post is "Going All In" because I feel like this has been my motto for this marathon training cycle. I usually give everything I do my best effort, but in this case, it has been on another level. I have been determined to leave no stone un-turned. In the middle of my training cycle for this marathon, I hit a rough patch where I just wasn't feeling enthusiastic or energized and I was talking to my brother on the phone one night, relaying this lethargy to him, and he suggested that I take a few days off. I told him that I couldn't - that I had to push through because I wanted to make sure that I didn't get to the end thinking that maybe there was something else I could have done. Part of the reason for the urgency with this marathon is that I think it will be my last one for at least a few years. With one kid here and the desire to continue to expand our family, it is becoming increasingly difficult to justify the time it takes to commit to serious marathon training. I will keep running, of course, but the focus will be on shorter races.<br /><br />This training cycle was much different than my first marathon. The biggest difference is obvious - it's not my first marathon. When I trained for the 2012 Chicago Marathon, the training was new, my mileage peak was a new personal best for me, everything was novel including the shape I managed to get myself into for that Marathon. This time around, I knew going into it what the training would be like and what to expect. Not having that new-ness took a little bit of the shine off of it. Another thing that was different, in a very positive way, was the weather this summer. In 2012, we had a brutal summer here in Chicago - many, many days where the high temperatures reached 90 or more. This summer was cooler and very temperate which made for much more enjoyable training. Another positive difference is that my body was more ready for marathon training this time around and thus I had much fewer aches and pains this time around. I remember in 2012, I came down with little things here and there that would cost me 1-3 days of training...this time around, I missed only 2 days of training in 14 weeks. Even now, my body feels great and I'm running nearly 100% pain-free. Another major difference this time around was that Leslie and I have a child now, a year-and-a-half old, who understandably demands a lot of time. I couldn't just run whenever I wanted which presented a little bit of a challenge at times.<br /><br />Like I mentioned, I went 'all-in' for this one which meant trying to fit as much mileage in as possible. Running after work was out of the question - Leslie needed my help with our daughter and I'm gone all day at work. So my running had to be relegated to either the mornings before work or on my lunch breaks. In order to fit in the longer mid-week runs, I resorted to two-a-days on Wednesdays - running both before work and on my lunch break. Needless to say, I didn't really look forward to Wednesdays, two runs in a matter of hours got to be a bit much, especially towards the end. At the beginning of my training cycle I was right around 40 miles/week and worked it up gradually up to 60 miles/week at towards the end. I was pleasantly surprised by how my body responded to the increased in mileage. In the course of training I set new personal records for miles in a month (233) and miles in a week (65). I ran two races during training as well, including a 5K in late July and a Half-Marathon in early-September. Overall, I'm very pleased with how things went, in fact, all things considered I'm not sure they could have gone much better than they did.<br /><br />So now it comes down to it. 9 more days until I can find out if my body can do it. I've envisioned it a hundred times now - crossing that finish line with something on the clock that still as a 2 as the first digit. How would I react? How will I feel if I don't break 3...will I really be disappointed something just over 3 hours? I'm really curious to see what happens. All signs so far point in a good direction. The half marathon last month, which was a tune-up to see where I was at, went swimmingly and really gave me some confidence. The weather is looking like it's going to cooperate too which is probably the biggest wildcard. I'm hopeful, I'm starting to get nervous, and I'm excited, all at the same time. On top of that, I'm ready for this short journey to come to an end - it's been fun to train and train hard, but I'm ready for a break and for the pressure to be off. I know that I've given it all I've got and I'm ready to see if that will be enough.Adam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080633507786567033.post-8781446161436414622013-10-21T14:41:00.001-07:002013-10-21T14:41:54.562-07:00Reflections on Racing<div style="text-align: center;"><i>"...Because the question rarely resolves itself in material terms, running was pointless to many people. Others, far more fortunate, recognized intuitively that the very pointlessness of running was its greatest strength. That pointlessness meant that no spectator could ever entirely know what was going on as he watched a distance being run. The casual spectator might have a single clue: he had what he saw. The better informed spectator might have additional clues, by knowing what performances had been rendered in the past by the particular athlete…In sum, when running was pointless, running was fascinating because running had very little to do with running. It had to do with people and why they act the way they do.”</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">-Excerpt from "A Cold Clear Day" by Frank Murphy</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">A few months back, my brother turned me on to the book I just quoted - it's about American Buddy Edelen who is a little-known name in American distance running lore, but was nevertheless one of the greatest American runners of all-time. He once held the Marathon World Record in 1963 (2:14:28) and at a time when Europeans dominated the world of distance running, Buddy Edelen was one of the only Americans who could keep up. Anyway - it's a quick, easy read and it definitely gives the reader an appreciation for a time in the sport of Running where the athletes ran because they loved it and not because there was a lot of money (or fame) involved.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">What a week (and a half) it has been! I ran races on back-to-back Saturdays; the Prairie State Half Marathon on October 12th and the Flint Hills Forte 5K on October 19th. For both races we had nearly perfect running conditions and in both races, my body cooperated and allowed me to run at maximum effort. Let's start with the Prairie State Half.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I wrote about this on DailyMile, but for whatever reason I had serious doubts heading into this race. I wondered if my goals were too lofty - I wondered if the training I had been able to do had adequately prepared me to PR in a half marathon - I wondered how I would feel at the end of the race and if I would have what it took to gut it out. I don't really know why I doubted myself because I'm not usually one to do that - usually I feel like I know what I'm capable of. I think part of it was that I had built this race up in my mind over the past few months. This was the "A-Race" for me and the one I had been training for all summer. I had run other races in the past few months, but they didn't mean nearly as much to me as this one did. I knew that if I didn't achieve my goals, the disappointment would have been substantial.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Fortunately, I slept well the night before. This was huge. I felt good when I woke up on race morning and there were no detectable aches or pains. Being 100% healthy at the start-line is an achievement in and of itself...all you runners know what I'm talking about. After packing up the kiddo and everything else, we made the 45-minute drive from our house to the Independence Grove Forest Preserve in Libertyville, IL. After picking up the race packet and a quick 1-mile warm-up, it was time to go.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I would go through the whole race, mile by mile, but I did that on DailyMile and you can <a href="http://www.dailymile.com/people/AdamK21/entries/25527587">read about it here</a> if you're into that sort of thing. The end result was that I ran the Half in 1:25:56 which was my personal best by almost two-and-a-half minutes and was good enough for 11th place out of 892 runners and 2nd in the 25-29 age group. I was so happy with the result - I was ecstatic after the race and was so happy to see my wife and daughter. I don't think I could have run the race even 5 seconds faster than I did - I pushed it to the absolute limit and surprised even myself because going into the race, my "I'll be surprised if I do it" goal was 1:26:30.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The days following the race were predictable - I'm usually sore in my calves after longer races and though the soreness wasn't terrible, my legs were definitely telling me that they were tired and needed rest...I had some pretty gnarly blisters too. I took a couple of days of complete rest and then on Tuesday I opted for some pool running which is a nice change-of-pace and is a very low-impact workout. On Wednesday I tried actual running again and it was painful. I had what felt like achilles tendinitis in my lower left leg and my quads still felt wrecked. I knew I had another race coming up in a few days so I opted for rest. On Thursday I did another session of pool running and then on Friday I took another day of complete rest. In the evenings I did a lot of icing and compression and by Friday evening my left leg was feeling a lot better. In retrospect, I think it was my soleus muscle that was just really sore and made it feel like tendinitis.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">On Saturday morning I felt ready to go. A quick 1.5-mile warm-up confirmed that my legs were feeling good. This 5K was in Channahon so it had been a bit of a early morning because of the drive to get there, but the race director is one of my business clients and it's a very enjoyable family-friendly race. It's called the "Flint Hills Resources Forte 5K" and it benefits the local Channahon Music Boosters Club which is a cause I don't mind supporting. The guy who organizes the race, Jim Mason, is a really good guy and is a runner himself. This was the 2nd annual race (I ran in the inaugural race last year) and the course is very scenic and flat which makes for good racing.<br /><br />Right out of the gate, some guy in a red shirt took off and got out to a healthy lead - but after about a quarter of a mile, I could tell he was drifting back to the pack. About 1/2 a mile into the race, I passed him and for perhaps the first time in my life, I was leading a race. I thought to myself..."huh, this is kinda fun, I could get used to this!" It was just me and the guide-biker in front of me and for the next 2.5 miles or so it was like this. At the 1 and 2 mile markers I peeked behind me to see how far ahead I was and at mile 2 I figured I had about a 5 second lead. I really started laboring in the 3rd mile...I kept thinking about what it would be like to win a race...but also what it would be like to lead a race for this long and not win. I was too tired to peek behind me and it was taking all of my effort simply to keep the pace up. With the finish line in sight (about 1/10th of a mile to go) I got passed up...and I mean, it wasn't like this guy was struggling to pass me, he blew by me. I said something like, "nice running" as he passed me and tired to turn on the jets to re-take 1st, but I didn't have enough to overtake him. I finished in 2nd place by 1.3 seconds.<br /><br />Do I wish I could have won? Surely. It would have been sweet to win a 5K. Isn't that every serious runner's dream? I mean, how many of us can say they've won a race? Even though it was a small race (200 finishers) it still would have been cool to win. Am I bummed that I did not win? No, not really. Considering I ran a PR half marathon 7 days earlier and considering I was unsure of how much of an effort I was going to be able to give only 48 hours prior to the race...I'm happy. And I got a 5K PR...by only 3 seconds, but hey, a PR is a PR right? This race is so awesome - they give out really nice fleece blankets to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place so I'm the proud owner of a new fleece blanket that has the logo of the 5K and "2nd Place" embroidered into it. Totes awesome.<br /><br />All things considered it was a pretty damn good week in terms of running. Two PRs, a 2nd place AG finish and a 2nd place Overall finish? Not bad, I'll take that all day long. So, what's next? Hmm - after reading a bunch of awesome Chicago Marathon race recaps I have marathon fever like never before. I'm thinking maybe the 2014 Chicago Marathon or perhaps a different one (Milwaukee? Naperville?). I know I want to run one next fall and give sub-3:00:00 a serious go. I feel like I've learned a ton since running Chicago in 2012 and I feel like there is a ton of room for improvement.<br /><br />For now I will probably take it easy. I may run another race around Thanksgiving but more than anything, my body needs some rest. I'm thinking maybe 20-30 mpw through the rest of the year. I'm going to work on incorporating some weight training into my regimen - I've gotten away from that and I think could probably use some strengthening.<br /><br />I cannot reiterate enough how thankful I am for the support of the running community through DailyMile. If you're not on there - join us (!) - it's a great community for support and encouragement, no matter your speed. I'm also thankful to my wife - she's left holding the kid when I go off and do all my running and she's the one who's there at the finish line cheering me on. I'm so thankful for all of that. Thank you Leslie!!</div>Adam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080633507786567033.post-46790667792835269232013-10-07T12:46:00.000-07:002013-10-09T10:07:48.927-07:00Fall Goals Check-In and Race PreviewI feel like I say this all the time, but time is freaking flying by these days. It seems like just yesterday that our daughter Addison was born...now she's almost 6 months old. Anyway, I digress, talking about time flying makes me feel old. I thought I would do a Fall goals check-in and a race preview of the upcoming Prairie State Half Marathon coming up for me on Saturday. Let's start with goals.<br /><br />At the beginning of the summer, I stated four goals:<br /><b>1)</b> Run at least 3 more races this summer<br /><b>2)</b> Train well for the Prairie State Half-Marathon<br /><b>3)</b> Continue with regular weekly mileage -- minimum of 25/week but ideally working up to ~40-45 miles/week.<br /><b>4)</b> Get involved with some sort of team<br /><br />Hmm - well, I guess I can say that I achieved 2 of those goals. I only ended up running two races this summer - a 10K on August 3rd and a 5K on September 2nd. Both of the races were PRs but I just couldn't find time for that third race. Oh well, all-in-all it's not that big of a deal.<br /><br />On the other hand, I feel as though I have trained very well for the Half Marathon coming up this weekend. In June, July, August and September I logged 125, 140, 140, and 130 miles respectively and I mixed in a good amount of speed-work with 8 runs of 10 miles or longer. The races I did do showed that the speedwork has definitely paid dividends and my training paces have gotten gradually faster as well. On top of that, my body feels good and mentally I feel prepared for this race.<br /><br />Weekly-mileage wise, I have stepped it up from the 25/week I was at in June. Through the summer months my weekly mileage was steadily in the mid-30s/week - I haven't hit the mid-40s like I'd hoped, but honestly, I've run just about as much as I can in the time that I had this summer so I'll take it.<br /><br />Utter fail on Goal #4. I talked to Kevin Granato earlier in the summer about joining Granato Racing and I briefly considered joining the Glen Ellyn Running Club, but the bottomline reason I didn't pull the trigger on either is that I simply don't have weekend mornings or weekday nights open, at this point, to make joining a team worth it. If and when I join a team, I want to be a full participant, not just someone who shows up occasionally and doesn't really know anyone. It's still a strong desire of mine, but at least for this summer anyway, it wasn't in the cards.<br /><br />So let's talk about this race on Saturday....<br /><br />I'm really excited. After watching my brother smash his marathon PR yesterday at the Twin Cities Marathon, I'm inspired. Not only that, I feel like running-wise, I'm in as good of shape as I've ever been in my entire life. Unlike in last year's marathon training, I've incorporated some very specific speed-work and it seems to be paying off. My last 5K was evidence of that and I think that I've even gotten quicker since that race. In the 3 months leading up to my last half marathon, I ran a total of ~320 miles and in the past 3 months leading up to this half marathon I've run ~440 miles so from even just a sheer mileage standpoint, I'm even more prepared for this race than I was for the last half marathon I ran.<br /><br />Goals-wise, I'm going to take <a href="http://www.dailymile.com/people/ErinAMG">Erin's</a> approach and have a couple of different goals. My "I definitely think I can do it" goal is to get a new half marathon PR in this race. My fastest Half so far is 1:28:20 and I think I'm in better shape now. My "If all of the stars align" goal is 1:26:30. I imagine my ultimate time with be somewhere in between those two numbers...would love to surprise myself (in a good way) though. The weather looks like it's going to cooperate...temps should be in the low-to-mid-50s and for now there is no rain forecast for Saturday morning. The race starts at 8:00am so it won't be a terribly early morning. I looked at the results from last year, over 800 people ran in the half marathon and there were about 300 in the marathon so it's not a tiny race, but it's not very large either. which has both pluses and minuses. On the plus side, there won't be any dodging or weaving. The downside is that in the latter part of the race, it's likely to be pretty spread out so I can't count on having anyone to run with or near to help pull me along when the fatigue starts to set in. I don't know if they'll have pace groups, I imagine this is probably too small of a race for that...but we'll see.<br /><br />Strategy-wise, I'm going to start out by trying to run 6:40-6:45s for the first three miles. During the last half marathon, I really got into that groove early on and it helped a lot in the latter stages of the race. After 3, I will gradually increase the pace (ideally) through the end of mile 9. Starting at mile 10, I'll spend whatever I have left. I would like to be at ~40:30 (6:41 average) through the 10M mark and at about 1:06:30&nbsp; (6:39 average) through 10 miles.<br /><br />So now it's just a matter of tapering and waiting. Today is a rest day, I'll probably do easy runs on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. I'm really excited to see how all of my DailyMile friends do in their respective marathons coming up, particularly the Chicago Marathon this weekend. I know a few others who are running either the Naperville Marathon or the NYC Marathon in November. I've gotten hit hard lately with the marathon itch again so hopefully next year I'll be running in the Chicago Marathon again. Good luck to all you racers out there - do your best and leave it all out there!Adam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080633507786567033.post-53010924106989338462013-06-11T14:48:00.000-07:002013-06-11T14:48:09.423-07:00The DesireHaving your first child makes you think. Besides all of the learning that needs to be done and all of the new experiences, it makes you examine yourself - your beliefs, your motives, your ability to provide, your drive to succeed, etc...at least it has for me anyway. Our daughter Addison was born about 6 weeks ago and I would say I've done a lot of soul-searching since then. Do I have what it takes...in any area of life?<br /><br />A big part of my life - or at least an important part of my life - is running. I would say I've been a "serious" runner now for about 2 1/2 years. I've run a few half marathons and broke my marathon cherry last fall. In terms of experience, I've run all of the various race distances and decided what I like and dislike. In terms of training I've figured out what works for me and what leads to injury. As part of this general soul-searching that has been going on I have inevitably considered the running part of my life and asked myself "what do I want out of this?"<br /><br />I think I've come to the conclusion that I want more out of this. I'm 29 years old and I want to stay in shape. Beyond that, I think I have a little bit of God-given running talent and I'd like to see how good I can get. In talking with my brother (who is himself an avid runner and sub-3:00 marathoner) and from reading books, I believe the key to improving my times is simple: dedication and time. As with any pursuit in life, if you want to get better at it, you've got to spend more time doing it and you've got to clear away (or make more room for) other things in order to spend more time doing the thing you want to get better at.<br /><br />So - it all starts with desire. How much do I want it? What am I willing to sacrifice to become a better/faster runner? I think for me, the desire is there. I want to improve and I'm willing to put in the work. I think another thing that helps to keep the flame of desire burning is having goals. So I need to make some goals:<br /><br /><b>Goal #1:</b> Run at least 3 more races this summer - could be anything from a 5K to a Half Marathon<br />Sub-goals: Depending on the length of races -- current goals are<br />-- 5K: sub-19:00<br />-- 10K: sub-40:00<br /><br /><b>Goal #2:</b> Train well for the Prairie State Half-Marathon on October 12th (already signed up) with the goal of running under 1:27:00 (6:38/mile).<br /><br /><b>Goal #3: </b>Continue with regular weekly mileage -- minimum of 25/week but ideally working up to ~40-45 miles/week. Currently at 30 miles/week.<br /><br /><b>Goal #4:</b> Get involved with some sort of team. Whether it's a local running club or getting a running coach - I think one of the keys to maintaining interest in this sport is doing it with others.<br /><br />Desire + Goals = Achievement...most of the time anyway. Adam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080633507786567033.post-69156083610923883882013-03-25T08:34:00.000-07:002013-03-25T08:34:31.952-07:00Dood. (Chitown Half Marathon Race Recap)<b>What:</b> Chitown Half Marathon<br /><b>Where:</b> Downtown Chicago, IL (northside)<br /><b>When: </b>March 24th, 2013<br /><b>Weather: </b>Upper-20s, cloudy, wind from the East<br /><b>Finish Time:</b> 1:28:20 (23rd out of 1,063)<br /><br />I have to start off this post by thanking my wife Leslie. After the race finished yesterday the first person I saw was her and giving her a hug and sharing in that moment of triumph with her was super awesome. Our soon-to-be daughter was also there for that hug as well, still just a 'bun in the oven' but she was there too. It was a special family moment. Thank you Leslie for listening to me drivel on endlessly about running - for encouraging me and for celebrating with me. I am such a lucky man.<br /><br />Can you tell the race went great? Oh man - it went EXACTLY how I hoped it would. I managed to sleep pretty well the night before and it wasn't that early of a morning (6:20am) which was nice. I had my typical race morning breakfast of a banana, a cup of coffee and a couple of granola bars (and 1/2 a CLIF bar in the car on the way). I was definitely nervous. Leslie talked me down in the car on the way there. When we got there Leslie dropped me off and I meandered my way over to the start area. After scoping things out I went on a short warm-up run and that little run actually made me question myself a little bit because it was a slow pace and yet I felt like I was struggling a bit. After dropping my stuff off at the gear check I made my way to the starting line. In retrospect I probably should have waited a few more minutes before dropping my stuff off because I ended up waiting, in the cold and wind, at the starting line for a good 15 minutes. Oops.<br /><br />This race, like many other half marathons, had a few pace groups and luckily for me, they had a pace group for my goal pace (1:30:00, 6:52/mile). After the gun went off I settled in with that pace group. I figured I would see how it went at that pace for a little while knowing that if I couldn't keep up, I would have to re-think my goal. I settled into a nice rhythm and in retrospect, the decision to stick in that group probably saved me some energy because I was able to draft behind some of the runners in that group instead of facing the winds along the lake on my own. The first few miles clicked off and I was feeling really good.<br /><br />Eventually I decided to go out ahead of the group -- not too long after that I came up on fellow DailyMiler Britt K and we chatted for a bit. It's always so cool to meet someone from DM, especially during a race (great job Britt!). After that meeting - the crowd really started to thin out and I just kinda dropped into a zone. I don't really even remember much of a scenery - I was just focused on holding a consistent pace and not getting ahead of myself. That's pretty much how the entire middle section of the race went for me. There were a few windier sections on the course that were difficult, but I knew they wouldn't last long and they didn't.<br /><br />By the time I got to mile 10 I was over a minute ahead of "schedule". I had been holding back the pace for a little bit and knowing I only had a 5K left, I decided to go for it. The last few miles, while difficult, really went by fast. I saw another fellow DMer Erin with her daughter cheering us on and that gave me a boost of energy. A few times during the last 5K I thought to myself, "eh, you've got this, why not coast a little bit?" but then I would think about how much training I put into this race or the fact that this was going to be my last race for awhile and then push the pace faster.<br /><br />After I crossed the finish line (and before I saw Leslie) I let out what was pretty much a scream. There might have been some colorful language involved :) I was so pumped - I thought going into the race that I could run sub-1:30 but to run 1:28:20 - that was beyond what I thought I was capable of right now. The rest of the day was great - we spent some time at Leslie's brother's house eating and hanging out and I received a lot of encouragement through DailyMile which is always awesome.<br /><br />I'm really excited for what lies ahead - both in running and in life. On the running side, I feel like I've turned a corner of sorts which is really exciting. On the life side, we have the birth of our first child coming up very soon and Leslie and I can't wait to meet her. Running might have to take a back-seat for awhile, but I've got a nice PR to bask in for awhile and I'll be back soon!Adam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080633507786567033.post-80472301396912556492013-03-14T09:20:00.002-07:002013-03-14T09:22:52.764-07:00What a Difference a Year MakesOn Twitter yesterday, I happened to see Dathan Ritzenhein <a href="https://twitter.com/djritzenhein/status/311932883608694785">tweet about being excited</a> to head to New York City for this weekend's NYC Half Marathon. I instantly jumped on the memories train thinking back to <a href="http://chitownrunning.blogspot.com/2012/03/race-report-new-york-half-marathon.html">last year when my wife and two of our best friends all ran the NYC Half</a> and what an experience the whole thing was. It made me realize how much things can change in one year.<br /><br />Last year at this time I was doubting whether I would even be able to toe the starting line of the half marathon. I was in the midst of a nearly two-month battle with ITBS and had told my mom a week before the NYC Half that it "would be a miracle" if I was able to complete the race. I hadn't been able to run more than 2-3 miles in almost two months and the longest run I'd ever done in my life up till that point was 12 miles. So, not only was I out of shape, but I was fixing to go farther than I'd ever gone before. Miraculously, my knee did start feeling better that week (thanks to a serendipitous change of shoes) and I ran in and completed the half marathon. Things have gotten better and better since then.<br /><br />I started getting back into post-injury regular running again at the beginning of April 2012. I started out really small...a few miles here and there, nothing fast. I didn't run on back-to-back days until mid-April and didn't pass 15 miles/week until the end of April. I started training for the Chicago Marathon in May and my mileage increased slowly from there. I didn't cross the 30 miles/week threshold until mid-June. Things got better quickly from there - in August I ran 207 miles, book-ended by 170+ mile months in July and September. Only 7 months after not being able to complete a 2-mile run, I completed the Chicago Marathon, in a respectable time even.<br /><br />I've continued to run regularly since the Marathon and I'm gearing up for another half marathon here on March 24th. By the time that race gets here, I'll have run 1,400 miles since the NYC Half last year. This isn't an "oh look at me" post, I say all of this to make the point about how much can change in one year. There were times last February and March where I thought my knee would never get better. It was so frustrating. But they did get better - and I've gone on to achieve things I could only imagine a year ago. Over the past few days, I've felt stronger and faster than I've ever felt before. It's a 180-degree difference from last year.<br /><br /><br />There have been other life things that are completely different now than they were a year ago too. We're a month away from bringing our first child into this world whereas a year ago we were still wondering if we were ready to take the plunge into parenthood. Now, ready or not, it's coming - and we're so excited. I think this upcoming race will be special for me in the sense that I may not be able to dedicate as much of my time to running after our daughter is born. I have no idea what this world will look like post-baby, but I'm willing to give up running so many miles if life requires that. So this may be the last race, for awhile, in which I was able to put all the necessary training in. I hope that's not the case, but I'm treating like it will be - and I plan on leaving everything I've got out on that course. I'm determined to achieve my goal of a sub-1:30 half marathon.<br /><br />I'm sure the next year will bring a lot of changes too - I have no doubts about that. I'm excited to see what they are! <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1BlVBvvm4EQ/UUH4p7dZxlI/AAAAAAAAAnY/28UiKRx7JoQ/s1600/prefontaine.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="82" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1BlVBvvm4EQ/UUH4p7dZxlI/AAAAAAAAAnY/28UiKRx7JoQ/s320/prefontaine.gif" width="320" /></a></div>Adam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080633507786567033.post-78126992603906621512013-03-12T08:55:00.001-07:002013-03-12T08:57:22.004-07:00Interview with MyselfThe title sounds pretentious, I know. Actually, I have to give credit to another blog for this idea; fellow DailyMiler Erin <a href="http://www.runningruminations.com/">did this exact same thing on her blog</a> and I'm stealing the questions. I think she stole it from someone else anyway so it's cool, right? Feel free to steal it for your blog if you want. 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mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style><![endif]--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>How did you get into running?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Hmm. It’s tough to say how I started - my dad ran triathlons when my brother, sister and I were young so we always had him as an example (and a running partner early on). I think when I was in 6<sup>th</sup> grade or so I started running - I joined the middle-school track &amp; cross-country teams and ran with them for a couple of years. The cross-country races were never that long and I have no idea what my times were, I honestly don’t remember. I stopped running towards the end of middle-school/early high-school because I got more involved in other things. I briefly picked up running again in college, just more as a workout activity more than anything. Then again, after college, I started working out at lunch regularly and running off and on.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Things didn’t really get serious in the running department until the fall of 2010 - I was playing softball on a rec-league team and managed to break my arm. After surgery to fix the damage I was pretty much without the use of my left arm for 6 weeks and that’s when I started running regularly again. I entered a 5K the following spring it has sort of progressed from there. At first I said I would never run a marathon and had no interest in running one and then I went and did the Chicago Marathon last fall. Running has really become a big part of my life in the past 2+ years.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">2.&nbsp; Do you have a bucket list? If so, what’s #1 on it?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">I would love a) go on a European tour and b) go see Machu Picchu in Chile. Running-wise, I don’t really have anything that I would consider to be “bucket list”. I’ve gotten to do a lot of cool things with running already. I would love to qualify for the Boston Marathon, but I’m not gonna kill myself to do it. More than anything, I would like to continue to be able to keep running as a part of my lifestyle…both now and well into the future. I always admire those 50, 60, 70 and 80-year-olds I see out there, still running and enjoying the sport. I wanna be like that.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">3.&nbsp; <i>What has been your favorite race?</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">I loved running the NYC Half Marathon last year. The ironic thing was that prior to the week of the race, I didn’t think I was going to be able to run it. I had a nasty bout of IT-Band Syndrome in the two months leading up to the race and then miraculously it cleared up the week of the race and I was able to run it. My time wasn’t all that good, but it was such a cool experience to run through Central Park and Times Square, I’ll never forget it. Unfortunately, I’ll also never forget the guy who took a shit, with his butt facing us runners, up on a hill around mile 4 or so. Everyone was groaning and yelling at the guy. I also remember crossing the finish line and being so grateful for being able to run the race, for being able to complete it - it was an awesome feeling. It was also my first half-marathon.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">4.&nbsp; What motivates you to keep going?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Always wanting to get better. I know there will come a day, because of age or whatever, where I simply won’t be able to improve on my PRs. Fortunately, that time is not now and so I’m hell-bent on taking advantage of my prime years to set lofty goals and achieve them. I’m so grateful to have this body that God gave me; a body that works well and seems to be able to perform at a higher level than most people. Using my talents in running is one way that I worship the God that created me.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">5.&nbsp; What is one habit you have that you wish you could break?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">I’m a nail-biter and I hate it.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">6. If you could have ANY job in the world—what would you do?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Probably detective - hope to do it someday.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">7. What’s your favorite piece of gear?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">It’s probably a tie between my Garmin 305 and my Saucony shoes.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">8. What is your go-to pre-race meal?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">On race morning I usually keep it really simple. A cup of coffee, a banana and maybe a PB&amp;J or Clif Bar. The night-before meal could be anything.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">9. Do you take supplements?</span></i><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"> <i>If so, what?</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">No.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">10. What do you love about running?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">I don’t get to do it very often, but I love running with other people. There’s something about going on a run with someone else that’s special. I also love the sense of accomplishment after a great workout or race. Secretly, I love being in the gym, seeing all the muscle-heads flexing and thinking to myself, “I could waste you in a 5K.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">11. <i>What is your next BIG race?</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Next big race is the Chitown Half on March 24<sup>th</sup>. Training hasn’t gone exactly as I had hoped, but it’s been solid and I’m feeling confident. My goal is to break 1:30:00. This will be my third half-marathon and I think if the weather conditions cooperate, I can do it. Training has been going well and according to my other recent race times, McMillans says that I should be able to do it.</span></div>Adam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080633507786567033.post-32937997556204605712013-01-14T11:42:00.002-08:002013-01-14T13:18:53.028-08:00New Week, New SoapboxThe catalyst for this week's soapbox is this article (<a href="http://www.wired.com/opinion/2013/01/wiretap-backdoors/">http://www.wired.com/opinion/2013/01/wiretap-backdoors/</a>) that I saw on Wired.com. If you don't feel like reading it, it is an opinion piece suggesting that the FBI, instead of mandating that all new software applications be out-fitted with "wire-tap" capabilities, they should be hiring forensic computer hackers. It's a 'fight fire with fire' argument that makes sense when you consider it. That said - it was a couple of sentences in this article that got me thinking:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>"Whether we like them or not, wiretaps — legally authorized ones only, of course — are an important law enforcement tool.&nbsp;But mandatory wiretap backdoors in internet services would invite at least as much new crime as it could help solve."</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Legislation is expected to be authored later this year that will require all new internet applications and software programs be out-fitted with a "backdoor" so that if the need arises, the FBI can tap into it. This is not new news - all of that is covered in greater detail by the article. What got me thinking was this notion of government regulation as a means of ENSURING that crime continues -- and thus validating a NEED for government oversight. Lest I be thought a conspiracy theorist (which I am not), let me further explain.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">What's another hot-button topic these days? Gun Control. Understandably so right? The knee-jerk reaction of our country to the numerous school-shootings over the past 10 years has been to demand more gun control. What will gun control do? Will it stop criminals from possessing or using weapons? No. Will it stop crazy people from accessing guns and committing crimes? No. In-short, will it stop school shootings? I feel that if you're being intellectually honest with yourself, the answer is no. So, what then, will more gun laws do? One thing it is sure to do is extend the reach of government. More regulation means more surveillance on the part of the State into your affairs. More regulation means more justification for the Government to spend your tax dollars -- and not only that, but also to ask for, and justify, ADDITIONAL tax revenue.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">If that example isn't good enough for you - how about the "War of Drugs." Have drug laws stopped the manufacture and distribution of drugs in this country? No, they are still available in every city in America. Has it curbed drug-use in this country by limiting the availability of drugs? Maybe a tiny little bit? Maybe? Has the U.S. Government been successful on ANY front of the "War on Drugs"? If you read/watch the news and read anything about it, the unequivocal answer is "No". What has the war on drugs done? One thing it has done is justify an entire sub-branch of the U.S. Government (namely the DEA, and to an extent the ATF) and thus has justified the expenditure of LIMITLESS U.S. tax dollars. Put another way, it has justified the waste of countless tax dollars without any accountability for results. Let me be clear, a drug bust here and there or the break-up of a drug-ring here and there are not results...results consist of the actual accomplishment of your objectives which, in the "War on Drugs" would be the curtailing of manufacture and sale of drugs in this country. Am I suggesting that we legalize everything? No. But what I am suggesting is that we start being honest with ourselves and the failure of this war -- afterall, our government is ACCOUNTABLE to WE THE PEOPLE.</div><br /><br />As a corollary - the War on Drugs has also allowed the government to justify a number of other things. Because drugs are illegal they are bought and sold on a black-market...mostly by gangs. Fights over "turf" explode into violence on our streets (22 murders so far in Chicago in 2013) and then justify the need to more law enforcement in the form of police officers and over government enforcement (FBI, DEA, ATF, etc). This ultimately costs more tax money...but the government can turn around and say, "hey, we have a huge problem here and the citizens NEED us." States have begun to decriminalize marijuana and shockingly (sarcasm) there haven't been vast increases in crime. Not only that, these states are going to start bringing in tax revenue from the sale of marijuana and will actually being making a profit on the industry, rather than spending vast amounts of tax dollars to curb marijuana use.<br /><br /><br />This might as well be a short dissertation on why I am a Conservative...a Conservative bordering on being a Libertarian. I will never feel like the Government does a better job at regulating my day-to-day life and choices better than I do. I believe that you and me do an astronomically better job at over-seeing our day-to-day lives than the Government ever has or will. The Government has a place, of this there is no-doubt, but that place is not in creating a need for itself. By making laws that extend the reach of government for the sake of "catching criminals" - the government is pulling the wool over the proverbial eyes of Americans as to what it's true objectives are.Adam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080633507786567033.post-33784110260029411582013-01-10T12:01:00.000-08:002013-01-10T12:10:18.086-08:00Soapbox Post: We Know Next to NothingJust an up-front warning: this post has nothing to do with running. Well, not much anyway. The catalyst for this post is a book I've recently been reading in conjunction with several articles I've come across lately. The book is "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Emperor-All-Maladies-Biography-Cancer/dp/1439170916">The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer</a>" written by Siddhartha Mukherjee. It's a long book, but it's very well written and it takes you through the evolution of medical thought with regard to cancer itself as well as the evolution of cancer treatment. Among the many fascinating parts of the book is this sense of just how far our understanding of cancer has come in the past 50-60 years...AND how much there still is that we don't know.<br /><br />In the 1940s the treatment for cancer, if there even was one for the particular type that you had, basically consisted of a surgeon trying cut it out of you. For breast cancer, the treatment ideas at the time were particularly horrendous and involved major surgery that a fair amount of patients didn't even survive. A new invention around that time was chemotherapy which, in it's infancy, was a terrible ordeal to have to go through and involved months of retching, weight/hair loss and extreme fatigue...for only possibly a few months of "remission." Most of these treatments back then only retarded the advance of cancer and for most patients, the cancer would return and eventually cause death. Today the treatment methods are quite a bit more nuanced and effective, but cancer is still a serious disease and some forms of it, like pancreatic cancer, have extremely high mortality rates.<br /><br />So, what's my point? My point is this: in today's world, it's easy to think, "wow, look how technologically advanced our society is, I mean, we have smart phones, fighter jets, and starbucks on every corner - what else is there to discover?" The fact is, there is A TON we don't know about. I would even go so far as to say that there is more we don't know, way more, than things we do know about. For example, here is an article I saw today (<a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2013/01/10/we-probably-wouldnt-even-see-a-doomsday-asteroid-until-it-was-too-late/">http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2013/01/10/we-probably-wouldnt-even-see-a-doomsday-asteroid-until-it-was-too-late/</a>). For all of our advancements in telescopic technology and in our understanding of space, it's likely that if there were an asteroid out there that could obliterate earth, we wouldn't even see it coming. As NASA puts it, "“With so many of even the larger NEOs [near Earth objects] remaining undiscovered, the most likely warning today would be zero,” We would see nothing at all until suddenly, just as the impact occurred, we noticed a “flash of light and the shaking of the ground as it hit.”" And yet our society is "so advanced."<br /><br />Basically I've come to the conclusion that we know and understand <strike>next to nothing</strike> very little about our world. It seems like we know a lot and no doubt there have been huge strides forward in our knowledge and understanding in a lot of different areas over the past 100 years, but there is a LONG way to go. There are numerous examples throughout science and medicine. There are real-world examples RIGHT NOW. For example - why are there all these school-shootings happening in the U.S.? Is it the availability of guns? Is it the prevalence of violence on television and in video games? Is it our cultural attitudes towards mental illness? Is it a lack of real-parenting on the part of a lot of parents in the U.S.? Is it the decline of personal responsibility and morals in our country? Suffice to say, it's probably more than one of those things and perhaps there are additional factors than those that come into play.<br /><br />Like I said before, it's easy to think we live in the 'age of enlightenment' and sure, compared to past eras and civilizations, we are "enlightened" I suppose, but there is still a lot of be discovered. I keep going back to the verse in the Bible, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:9, NIV) I imagine we are quite amusing to God at times -- the created says, "I've figured this out!!" and God looks down and says, "Ha, just you wait and see." It's an incredible thought really. Another verse that comes to mind is God saying to Job, "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand." (Job 38:4, NIV)<br /><br />Anyway, those are my thoughts today - like I said, not related to running much. I suppose they could be related to running. There have advancements over the past 30 years in shoe technology, compression technology, physiological understanding, training philosophy and the like, but if all other disciplines are any indication there's still a lot more to learn about our bodies and about the sport of running. I'm looking forward to seeing more advancements and gaining further understanding, no matter the field.Adam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080633507786567033.post-61104946997881965682012-12-17T08:14:00.000-08:002012-12-17T08:14:38.038-08:00Question: Have you become a better runner?I should probably explain the title of this post a little. I was running with a friend of mine the other day and he asked me two questions. The first one was, "how long have you been running on a serious level?" The answer to that is simple, it's been about 2 years and a couple of months since I really got serious about running again. The second question was, "ok, in that time, have you become a better runner?" In my haste to answer that question I blurted out something about not having gotten substantially faster in the past two years, but I have improved my stamina/endurance, yadda, yadda, yadda. The question stuck in mind though and I've been giving it more thought over the past few days and I think I have a slightly more nuanced answer.<br /><b><br /></b><b>Speed:</b><br />With regard to the actual speed of my running - my answer is complicated by my expectations. Simply put, I would love to be running faster than I am right now. I think all runners want that, but I feel like my progress with regard to speed has been particularly slow. My first 5K after my return to running was in May of 2011 and I ran a 21:27. My latest 5K this past October was a PR at 19:06. So I've shaved about :46 per mile off my 5K time in 2+ years...I'm happy with that, but all things considered, I think I still have a lot more room to improve on that. As a side note, I know that I've spent much of the last year training for a marathon and that I haven't done much speed-work at all, much less running towards 5K goals. I think that if I really focused on improving my 5K times, I could make some pretty solid gains pretty quickly.<br /><br /><b>Endurance:</b><br />Without a doubt, this is the area in which I have improved my running the most. A couple of years ago, I thought running a marathon was a super-human feat. I would always say, "I have no interest in running a marathon." Then I ran my first half-marathon earlier this year and thought to myself, "hmm, maybe I should just try it? Maybe?" So I signed up for the Chicago Marathon, trained all summer for it and completed my first marathon in October. Now I want to run another one. Funny how that happens. Anyway, I went from running 20-30 miles/week before marathon training, to regularly completing 40-50+ mile weeks throughout the summer. In terms of things that I'm proud of in my life, completing the Chicago Marathon is up there near the top. A year ago, the longest single run I had ever done in my lifetime was 9 miles. Crazy.<br /><br /><b>Running Knowledge:</b><br />With anything, the more time you put into it, the more you learn about the nitty gritty details. Through books, blogs and talking to other runners, I've learned a TON about running over the past 2 1/2 years. I've read books by Jack Daniels, Danny Dreyer, the Hanson brothers, Lewis Maharam, Ryan Hall and others and spend hours talking about running with other runners. This has increased my awareness of the details of the sport itself. I've learned a lot about things like the importance of hydration, the physiological benefits of long-slow distance running, VO2Max, running form, cadence, injury prevention, footwear and on and on and on. I can't say I've been able to put everything I've learned into practice, but a lot of it I have and it has helped me.<br /><br />I tend to be more on the pessimistic side of things. I have made a lot of improvements in my running since the Fall of 2010. I need to make some new goals for myself and start working towards those goals. When I'm running at my best, I'm following a plan and making every run count towards something.<br /><br /><u>Rough Draft Goals (for 2013 and 2014):</u><br />- Run another half-marathon in the Spring 2013 (~1:30:00)<br />- Spend some concentrated effort training for shorter races like 5Ks and 10Ks.<br />- Run a 5K with an average pace of 5:59 or lower<br />- Run another marathon sometime in the next 2 yearsAdam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080633507786567033.post-7592512559628007902012-12-11T13:08:00.002-08:002012-12-11T13:08:40.496-08:00The Winter Blues<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_uQJyv1KtQE/UMeg0A45oyI/AAAAAAAAAm4/JaP5uhbs3TY/s1600/charlie-brown-depressed-300x251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_uQJyv1KtQE/UMeg0A45oyI/AAAAAAAAAm4/JaP5uhbs3TY/s1600/charlie-brown-depressed-300x251.jpg" /></a></div><br />*Sigh.* I suppose it's finally here. Winter. When I was a kid I used to love the winter. I loved snow, I loved the excitement of that occasional day when school would be cancelled and we could play for hours in the snow building igloos, forts, sledding...now I hate winter. Since I've gotten back into running I've really come to loathe winter - all the extra clothes you have to wear to go running, being forced onto a treadmill when the sidewalks are impassable, having super dry skin all the time because of multiple showers every day. Winter sucks.<br /><br />Anyway - this post isn't to bitch about the weather. There's nothing I can do about the cold days/nights and the inevitable snow we'll get here in Chicago...eventually (hasn't snowed here yet). No, this post is about something else entirely - but it's related to winter. I think I have the 'winter blues' when it comes to running. My last race was Thanksgiving Day and for the foreseeable future, I have no races to look forward to. I had a great 2012 running season. Two half-marathons, a couple of 5Ks, my first 8K and the crowning achievement of my first marathon. The only problem is this: for almost the entirety of this year, I've had something to focus on - whether it was a half-marathon or marathon or some other race, there was constantly that thing coming up that served for motivation. Now it's not there, and I'm seriously struggling to get excited about working out.<br /><br />I know what I need to do - I need to make a plan. Find some race in the Spring to start training for. I know this, but I lack even the motivation to put together a plan. I feel worn-out. I've contemplated taking a break from running for a couple of weeks just to recharge the batteries, but then I think about all the progress I made this year and what I stand to lose if I just stop running. I know it doesn't disappear instantly, but it's a mental thing. I just can't seem to bring myself to stop running completely. I have been scaling back the running over the past month and focusing more on weights but even my weight days are a chore now.<br /><br />Maybe others of you out there have had this problem: when I have a plan, I stick to it religiously. When I don't have a plan, everything becomes hard. By 'hard' I mean, I push hard. Too hard. All the time. All my runs become steady-state or clock runs. My weights are hard. I know this about myself and yet I seem not to be able to hold back. If I sound like I'm bragging I'm not - in fact, I dislike this about myself. As disciplined as I can be with a plan, I'm equally undisciplined without one. This is yet another reason to find a race, make a plan, and start training smartly.<br /><br />I still haven't decided what to do. Might take some time off AND find a race, make a plan, etc. I gotta change something though because the ways things are going now isn't likely to lead anywhere good. The main reason for this post was just to write it out. I feel better.Adam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080633507786567033.post-67346946637278443242012-11-29T14:38:00.000-08:002012-11-29T14:38:07.495-08:00Shoe Review: Adidas Supernova Glide 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NaUP3Fju4Jo/ULfioC4Q-9I/AAAAAAAAAmo/6F1NmvuEris/s1600/Glide+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NaUP3Fju4Jo/ULfioC4Q-9I/AAAAAAAAAmo/6F1NmvuEris/s320/Glide+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I'm no shoe expert - I'll leave that to <a href="http://www.runblogger.com/">RunBlogger</a>. That said - <a href="http://www.dailymile.com/people/LakefrontRunner#ref=hpsearch">Ken W.</a> on DailyMile suggested I do a show review of a pair I recently bought so I thought I would give it a shot. I've managed to collect quite a pile of shoes over the past couple of years and I know what I like and don't like. Anyway, here goes.<br /><br />I'll start off by saying something that everyone should hear, whether you've already heard it or you're a new runner and you're hearing it for the first time: shoes cannot make you a faster runner and no matter what you hear, there is no magical shoes...HOWEVER, shoes can hurt you and if you don't have the right shoe for you, it can ruin running for you. If you want living proof, I'm living proof and you can <a href="http://www.runblogger.com/2012/03/running-shoes-and-iliotibial-band.html">read all about that here</a> (and read the comments too to see how many other people have been through the same thing). With that out of the way, here is my review of the Adidas Supernova Glide 4s.<br /><br />I've been pretty strictly a Saucony man for the past year or so. After some experimentation I found that the Ride series, particularly the Ride 2s and 3s were the perfect shoe for me. Then Saucony had to go and mess everything up...they changed the heel-to-toe drop on all of their shoes from 12mm to 8mm (or less). I bought and ran in a pair of Ride 5s this past year and it ended up causing me some serious achilles pain. I switched back to my Ride 3s and wah-lah, no pain. You might be thinking "so what's the problem?" The problem is that Ride 3s are becoming increasingly difficult to find because they're discontinued. I've been buying rogue pairs of Ride 3s on eBay for the last 6 months knowing that eventually I was going to need to find an alternative for the future.<br /><br />I have the greatest blessing a runner could ask for - my brother-in-law works for <a href="http://www.runningroom.com/hm/">The Running Room</a> - which is a running-shoe specialty store and not only that, he's a regional manager...so I get my shoes at a very nice discount which basically means that I can buy any shoe out there, even the expensive ones, and they don't end up costing me that much (THANK YOU SCOTT!). I was in one of Scott's stores over the Thanksgiving holiday and I presented him with my dilemma and he suggested that I try these Adidas Supernova Glide 4s. I tried them on, they felt good, they are a <a href="http://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs/content/popup.jsp?contentId=200092">NEUTRAL shoe</a> and so I bought them.<br /><br />My first run in them was that night - the temps were chilly (mid-20s) and the surface was a paved road surface. I ran with my brother and we kept a pretty solid pace (around 7:25). We ended up going 6 miles and I was happy with how my legs felt after the run...especially considering this was my first run in these brand-new-off-the-shelf shoes. I didn't have any blisters or even any hot-spots which was also a major plus. Since then I've run on an indoor-track surface, on roads again and today I ran on a crushed-gravel surface. The only test I haven't put these shoes through is a long run. I've done fast running and slow running and so far I've put about 20 miles on these - maybe too few for a good review, but hey, I'm an impatient guy.<br /><br /><b>Pros:</b><br />- I really like the distribution of the cushioning in the shoe. There is a lot of support towards the heel and progressively less towards the fore-foot. I'm not a heel-striker, but I like having that extra support in the heel area.<br />- The shoe feels like it has a nice wide base, which contribute to an overall sense of stability.<br />- Another thing I like about the shoes is that they are extremely comfortable. The tongue of the shoe is nice and thick and the shoes really feel like they're cradling your foot.<br /><br /><b>Cons:</b><br />- The only con I can think of is that the shoes are a little clunky. Weighing in at 11.3 oz. these are by no means racing shoes. With all the comfort though, it's no surprise these shoes are a little on the clunky side.<br /><br />So far so good with these shoes - I think they are a worthy replacement for my Ride 3s. I never expected to be running in Adidas, they aren't exactly known for their running shoes, but hey - I'm satisfied.Adam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080633507786567033.post-36693960703699965972012-11-26T12:36:00.000-08:002012-11-26T12:36:18.950-08:00A Meaningful RaceI just got back last night from a Thanksgiving break of sorts. It was five glorious work-free days spending time with all of my favorite people in the world: my family. In this midst of this break, I ran a race and it turned out to be perhaps one of the most memorable races I will ever run. My brother, sister-in-law and I decided, somewhat on a whim, to run a Thanksgiving Day race. We were looking for something longer than a 5K but shorter than a half-marathon and we ended up choosing a small race in Chisago City, MN called the "Dash 'n Dine Race"; a 5-mile race.<br /><br />Temperatures on race-morning were PERFECT. Mid-to-upper-40s, mostly cloudy and only a slight breeze. My brother (Tony) and I decided to do a couple of warm-up miles and when we finished those, we realized that we had gone out too early because there was still 30 minutes until the start. After twiddling our thumbs for the next 1/2 hour with nervous stretching and pacing, it was finally time.<br /><br />I didn't really know to expect as far as a goal-time. I had never run the 5-mile/8K distance and my training over the past month hasn't really been all that focused, I've been concentrating more on weights and injury-prevention than I have on speed or mileage. That said, I had it in my mind that I wanted to come in around 33-33:30 which would have been a 6:36-6:42 mile split. I felt confident that I could achieve that goal.<br /><br />The race started as all races do: too fast. Through the first mile I was focusing on slowing down to a hold-able pace. There were only a handful a people in front of me through Mile 1 and my brother was way ahead of me by then with another guy running right next to him. About mid-way through Mile 2, I saw the 2nd place guy stop and put his hands on his knees. I thought to myself, "huh, maybe he just started to fast (?) and ran out of gas?" As I drew closer to where he was though, I realized that he was clutching his ankle area and as I approached him I yelled, "hey are you ok?" and he said that his Achilles had popped. I felt bad for him, but only for a second. At that point it was my brother in 1st place and only one person between he and I.<br /><br />At that point I realized that I had a unique opportunity before me. Tony and I don't get to run too many races together - we've managed to run 3 races this year, but typically it's been about one race per year. We've never had the chance to go 1st and 2nd in any race before and I realized we had that chance in this race. "It might be the only chance we ever get" I thought to myself. Tony had a stranglehold on 1st place so it was up to me...<br /><br />Around Mile 2 or shortly after the mile 2 mark, I overtook 2nd place. I felt good, but oddly enough it was at that point that I started to doubt whether I could hold the pace I had established. I'm sure this happens to everyone in races; you get to that point there it starts to hurt, but you're only about half-way. This was where it really helped to know that I had a chance to finish 2nd to my brother. I decided that I was going to be damned if I gave up 2nd place, no matter how much it hurt. I shortened up my stride and put my head down. As we hit the mile 4 mark there was a 90 degree turn and so I peeked to see how far ahead I was - my best guess was that I had about a 20-30 second lead on 3rd place. For the last 1/2 mile, the courses for the 5K and 5Mile races joined so I was having to yell to get people to move out of the way. I saw Tony a few hundred yards from the finish and he gave me a high-five and a "Go Adam!". I crossed the finish-line in 31:24 - 2nd place out of 72 finishers in the 5-Mile race.<br /><br />I suppose there is one caveat to be made. My Garmin measured the course at 4.90 miles, which is within the potential error range for it to have been 5 miles, but more than likely it was closer to the 8K distance of 4.97 miles. Regardless - I consider it an 8K and/or 5M PR, close enough right? Either way, I'm very happy with the time, it absolutely crushed my expectations. Tony got a PR in the race, 29:00 to take home the turkey (literally). It was a pretty disorganized little race, but fun nonetheless. Tony's wife MJ also set a PR in the race and finished in 11th place (2nd overall female). It was a great day all around and a race I will always remember fondly.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jyrvj71Sxtc/ULPQsS2cRdI/AAAAAAAAAmY/Tj8Weu3Efo0/s1600/results.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="123" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jyrvj71Sxtc/ULPQsS2cRdI/AAAAAAAAAmY/Tj8Weu3Efo0/s320/results.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Adam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080633507786567033.post-71907521467292492392012-10-08T12:25:00.000-07:002012-10-08T13:22:56.642-07:00Race Recap: 2012 Chicago Marathon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wjSe60UHTVA/UHL8g4dEwbI/AAAAAAAAAk4/iIrNk7imlfU/s1600/MJTA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wjSe60UHTVA/UHL8g4dEwbI/AAAAAAAAAk4/iIrNk7imlfU/s320/MJTA.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>What:</b> 2012 Bank of America Chicago Marathon<br /><b>Where:</b> Downtown Chicago, IL<br /><b>When: </b>October 7th, 2012<br /><b>Weather: </b>Low-to-mid 40s, mostly cloudy<br /><b>Finish Time:</b> 3:20:25<br /><br /><b>Recap:</b><br />I can't believe it's over. After waiting for yesterday to come, it was over and done with in a flash. I have so many good memories in my head, I'm doing this now before I forget anything.<br /><br />It was quite the early morning on Sunday - I woke up at 4:00am and we (my brother Tony and sister-in-law MJ were also running) were out of the door by 4:50am. We went to the Lombard train station by my house and waited a good 40 minutes for the train. There were several people there waiting to go downtown for the race and we ended up talking to a guy who was going down to watch, he was a runner too and we had a good conversation...especially considering the hour. I'd only managed about 4 hours of sleep the night before but I had a lot of nervous energy. The train arrived downtown at about 6:20am and from there we took a taxi which got us as close to Millennium Park as possible. We stood in line for the bathroom for about 30 minutes and then had to rush to the gear check and get to the start corrals. As my brother and I were walking to the corrals I tried to turn on my Garmin and it wouldn't come on...I tried everything but it wasn't working -- my brother was super nice and loaned me his watch which was a complete life-saver for me (thank you again Tony!). We got into the corrals with just a couple of minutes to spare and within 5 minutes, we were off and running.<br /><br />My plan was to start off nice and easy and treat the first 5 miles as a 'warm-up'. I took time to enjoy my surroundings, all of the people spectating, reading their signs, it was such a high...but I managed to keep my pace easy. Through 3 miles I was at 24:00 which was exactly where I wanted to be at. As the race progressed past 5 miles I inched the pace up little by little and I started to get really excited around mile 7 because I knew I would be seeing my family around mile 8. I saw them right at mile 8 and high-fived all of them, it was the best I felt during the entire race.<br /><br />Shortly after I saw my family at mile 8, I started noticing a niggling pain my left achilles that was getting increasingly annoying (and painful) as I went through mile 9, 10 and 11. This pain wasn't new to me - ever since a treadmill run I'd done several days before it had been bothering me, but I was hoping it had gone away. I don't remember where it was, but I stopped by one of the medical tents at one point and asked them if they had a topical pain reliever and they handed me a couple of packets of BioFreeze. I slapped that on there and kept going and the pain subsided a bit. It never really went away the rest of the race, but I was determined to run through it and so I did.<br /><br />I crossed the halfway point at 1:41:50 and was feeling good. I gotta take a moment and say how awesome the crowds were yesterday. I had my name on my singlet and all along the route people were shouting "Go Adam!" or offering some other encouraging word. At the water stops the volunteers handing out water were also really encouraging - it was just plain awesome to have that kind of support the whole way. I have no doubts that the constant encouragement contributed to countless PRs that were set yesterday. If you came out and supported us runners yesterday, thank you, thank you, 1000x thank you! On a side note, I don't think I've had my named yelled that many times in one day ever before in my life.<br /><br />After the halfway point I started pressing the pace a bit more. I was happy with where I was at, but I also felt like I had quite a bit of energy left. Miles 14-20 were pretty uneventful, I was just enjoying the scenery, the energy from the crowds and the views of Chicago. When I passed mile 18 I thought to myself, "ok, I'm entering new territory, this is where the experiment begins." I was still feeling pretty good at that point.<br /><br />I kept expecting to hit some kind of wall at Mile 20...but it didn't happen. I still felt lucid, I seemed to have an uncanny ability for math (was figuring splits in my head) and my body felt good. At Mile 21 I saw my family again which had me on the verge of tears. I was so happy not just to see them, but I also realized at that point that I was going to at least finish the race. Even if I had to walk, finishing was assured. At mile 24 is when I thought, "ok, I'm REALLY ready to be done running now". The mile markers seemed to be going by more slowly and my lower legs were really aching. Fortunately for me, I was almost done and the best was yet to come.<br /><br />Through the entire last mile and a half, the streets were packed with people. I clearly remember seeing the "800m" sign and thinking to myself, "ok, about 4 more minutes and you're done". The last 400m were absolutely awesome, I don't have any specific memories except passing some medical people and some guy saying, "ok, this is where people normally go down". I thought, "I'm still good right? I'm not going down, right?" As soon as I could see the finish line it was all I could think about and when I got there, I pushed stop on my watch, then turned around and congratulated the guy behind me. The next few minutes were pretty much a haze of grabbing Gatorade and water, getting one of those plastic "blankets" and getting my finishers medal. About halfway down the chute, I heard someone yell "Adam" and I turned and saw my wife and my boss running alongside the fence. Leslie was so happy for me and I was sooo happy to see her. After a couple minutes of chitchat I finished meandering my way through the chute and went to meet up with everyone. I learned a lesson in that chute -- there were people handing out beer which sounded great at the time so I grabbed one. After two sips my stomach started hurting so I tossed it. Moral of the story: beer right after a marathon isn't the greatest.<br /><br />Let's see...things I'm proud of: I didn't walk once. I stopped two times, once to rub my achilles a little bit (maybe 10 seconds max) and the second time to put that BioFreeze stuff on my leg...other than that I did not stop and I'm way proud of that. Another thing is that I negative split the marathon. My brother tells me that's a big deal, first half was 1:41:50, second half was 1:38:35. I'm also proud to now say that I'm a marathoner...yeah that sounds pretty cool.<br /><br />Today I'm hurting pretty good. My achilles is SUPER sore, it will probably take at least a week for that pain to go away. Besides that I'm hobbling around like an old man - everything that's to be expected after a marathon. If I'm in a chair or laying down I'm content. I've already been asked, "so, are you gonna do another one?" The answer to that is: probably. It's such a feeling of accomplishment when you complete a marathon. There's really nothing I've experienced that's quite like it. I'm still basking in the glow.<br /><br />I have one more note to make - I mentioned that my brother and sister-in-law also ran the race. My brother had his best time ever finishing in 2:57 - I'm so happy for him, he's been chasing the 3-hour mark for awhile now and finally broke through yesterday. My sister-in-law MJ also set a personal best...by over 25 MINUTES, finishing in 3:36...this marathon was made more memorable for me because they ran it, I'm so happy for both of them. <br /><br />The other huge announcement of the weekend was that my wife and I are expecting our first child in April 2013. We were waiting to tell everyone until we'd told all of our family and close friends but now the news is out there for everyone to know. We both feel incredibly blessed - yesterday was such a perfect day in 100 different ways. I've really enjoyed reading other people's marathon stories, it sounds like it was one heck of a day for marathon running, a lot of PRs set and a lot of goods times had. Here's to many more!Adam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080633507786567033.post-70437080157202400542012-10-05T12:48:00.003-07:002012-10-05T12:48:42.195-07:00Pre-Marathon Thoughts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u4-B6JAehsY/UG84O4xEzmI/AAAAAAAAAkg/XPe73t4Nft8/s1600/BOA+CM12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u4-B6JAehsY/UG84O4xEzmI/AAAAAAAAAkg/XPe73t4Nft8/s320/BOA+CM12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It's almost here - only two sleeps away and the day I've been training all this time for will finally be here. I added up all of the mileage I've put in to training for this marathon...over 800 miles...117+ hours of running and 2 pairs of shoes (halfway through a 3rd pair). Every workout I've had during this time has had a specific purpose and...now it's here.<br /><br />I've been asked by several people what my goal time is. Honestly - I don't know what to expect. I feel unbelievably blessed that my first marathon is going to be run in almost ideal conditions (mid-40s, cloudy, very little wind). I'm going to do my best to run the first 5 miles or so at a very easy pace (7:45-8:00/mile) and then see what happens after that. In an ideal world, I would finish somewhere in the 3:10 to 3:20 range, but I haven't the foggiest clue if that's realistic. My longest training run was 18 miles which I did twice, so I don't know how my body and mind will respond once I get past the 20 mile mark. I would love to say that I'll be able to gut it out and finish strong, but I have no idea until I get there.<br /><br />The best part of the race isn't even the race itself - it's the fact that my brother and sister-in-law are running in it and that I will have my wife (Leslie), my parents and my sister all cheering us on along the race. In addition to that, Leslie's parents, my boss and one of my friends from church will also be along the course - plus Andrea with her "Do Epic Shit" sign - it's going to be a madhouse downtown.<br /><br />I'm really excited at this point, I'm excited to experience the marathon for the first time, I'm excited for my brother who is going to give a sub-3:00 marathon another try (I think he's gonna do it this time), I'm excited to run another race through the streets of a big city (there's nothing quite like it), I'm excited to see how everyone else does in their respective marathons, I'm excited to take a short break from running after it's all over, and I'm excited to see what I'm capable of.<br /><br />This has been kind of a crazy year - it started off with a way-too-aggressive training plan that resulted in a 2-month bout of ITBS, then my first half-marathon in NYC, a hot summer of training and my 2nd half marathon in Chicago and now this. It's been a (mostly) fun journey. I'll provide a full race-recap here once it's all over. Thank you to everyone on DailyMile and otherwise who has encouraged me along the way - I really couldn't have done it without your support -- especially my wife Leslie who rode alongside me on her bike during countless long runs, suffering from a sore crotch because of all the long and slow biking. Thank you!! I hope to do you proud.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H-wVhVJ3aKE/UG85GJzmBUI/AAAAAAAAAko/oFNGU7tDc7U/s1600/pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H-wVhVJ3aKE/UG85GJzmBUI/AAAAAAAAAko/oFNGU7tDc7U/s320/pic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Adam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080633507786567033.post-45552949606355210272012-07-23T13:30:00.000-07:002012-07-23T13:41:03.324-07:00Race Recap: Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon - Chicago<b>What:</b> Rock ' Roll Half Marathon - Chicago<br /><br /><b>Where:</b> Downtown Chicago, IL<br /><br /><b>When:</b> July 22nd, 2012<br /><br /><b>Weather:</b> Mid-to-upper 70s at the start and humid, partly-cloudy<br /><br /><b>Finish Time:</b> 1:35:55 (299 out of 14881)<br /><br /><b>Recap:</b><br />As I've had time to reflect on this race, I've realized that it held a lot of 'firsts' for me. I was in Corral #1 to start a big race - never done that before. I was in a position to actually race a half marathon - never done that before. Leslie's parents came to cheer us on and there were people from DailyMile I knew cheering us on - haven't had spectators before. It was a great way to start a Sunday for sure and though I'm mildly disappointed with my time, I'm still thankful for the experience and feel that I am right on track in my training for the Chicago Marathon in 2011.<br /><br />We arrived downtown at around 6:00am and by then I had already downed a pre-race breakfast of 2 bananas, a granola bar and a cup of coffee. Leslie and I met up briefly with a friend of ours and then I headed to my corral. First thing I noticed upon arriving at Corral #1 was that everybody in the corral was a serious runner. Everybody had the gear, the look, a very serious crowd. Anyway, after some pomp and circumstance and the singing of the national anthem we we off and I made a very conscious effort to hold back and not get caught up in the speed off the line. It was a wave start and I had been near the back line of Corral 1 so though I quickly fell behind the main pack, I was able to start how I wanted and quickly settled into a nice, managable groove.<br /><br />Through the first couple of miles I noticed that they didn't have mile markers and because of a couple of tunnels early on, my Garmin had derailed completely and was mostly useless. I ran up alongside another guy who didn't have headphones in and asked him if he knew which mile we were, but he did not. We started talking, he sounded British but said that he was living in Chicago. We ran alongside one another for a couple of miles but after a couple of water stations I fell back and didn't feel like expending the effort to catch back up. A nice single-serving friendship to be sure, but short - and unfortunately we didn't catch up afterwards.<br /><br />I was cruising through the first 6-7 miles. I passed the 10K mark at right around 45 minutes and was feeling really good. Looking back, my pace was probably a little faster than it should have been through the first half of the race, but I felt in control. At around mile 7 I saw <a href="http://www.dailymile.com/people/AndreaK5#ref=hpsearch">Andrea K.</a> from DailyMile with her "Do Epic Shit!" sign. I was starting to feel the heat and humidity at that point so seeing her and her sign was just the boost I needed. Throughout the race I had been pausing oh-so-briefly at the water stops to ensure that I got my fluids. I would grab a water, run to the end of the line and then stop and drink the cup. As the race went on, my pauses got progressively longer and I started taking both Gatorade <i>and</i> water. The heat and humidity were taking their toll...<br /><br />Right around Mile 10 is where I really started to wear down. The final 3 miles of the race were right along the lake which was pretty, but that also meant that they were right under the beating sun. Right before the Mile 11 marker I stopped to walk for about 20 seconds - I needed a break and had picked up a water along the way that I pulled a few swigs off of. I knew that I only had a couple of miles to go, but it felt like a long way to go until I could stop...funny how your perspective on distance completely changes when you're running a race. Right around Mile 11.5 or 12 I saw another DailyMiler, <a href="http://www.dailymile.com/people/kgranato#ref=hpsearch">Kevin G.</a>, and though he didn't recognize me, I recognized him and said something profound like, "hey Kevin!" I don't have many more clear memories of the end of the race save for a nasty little hill right before the final stretch. Once I could see the long-ish finishing chute, I had lazer focus on it and managed to kick up the pace a bit. I don't have any recollections of the people lining the final chute, I just remember wanting to get to that line so that I could stop running.<br /><br />There's nothing quite like being done. It's a relief and it's a feeling of having conquered something, all at the same time. Immediately after finishing I was handed an ice-cold white towel which felt amazing. I then grabbed a water, a Gatorade and then...A POPSICLE. It was into the 80s by the time I finished and I couldn't imagine anything better than a Popsicle, it was so good. I even managed to pick out a cherry one, which happens to be my favorite flavor. I knew I had awhile until Leslie came across the line because she had decided to run with one of my former co-workers who was running her first half-marathon. I walked around for awhile, allowing my body to cool down and normalize a little bit. I sat down, stretched, went to the bathroom and then headed to the finishing chute to watch.<br /><br />I watched and cheered for a good 45 minutes, just watching people come by at the 13 mile mark. I saw all shapes and sizes, people who looked like they were dying and people who were hard-charging it to the finish line. I saw a couple of pregnant women (mad respect), some older folks, a couple of people in costumes, and a lot of people who were supporting some charity or another. I really enjoyed watching - especially as people realized they only had one-tenth of a mile to go.<br /><br />I really enjoyed myself in this race. Though I was a little disappointed with my time (I was hoping for something closer to 1:30), I felt that I ran a pretty consistent race and I feel that I have some good things to build on. I thought that things were EXTREMELY well organized; mad-props to the Rock 'n Roll volunteers and organizers. The water stations were plentiful and they had other things like hoses and cold sponges to help keep everyone cool. I also appreciated the way they managed the start of the race too, delaying every corral by 30 seconds to a minute so that there wasn't so much crowding out of the gate. Well done on every front.<br /><br />I would be remiss if I didn't mention my lovely bride. After her half-marathon debut last March in NYC, she got all excited and signed up for this race back in April. Life has gotten in the way a little bit since which has gotten in the way of her training so up until earlier this week, she had been undecided on whether to run. Two days before the race, she decided to do it and decided that she would run with a former co-worker of mine (Julie) in her first half-marathon. Despite a pace that was much slower than Leslie would have preferred, she stuck with Julie through 12 miles before pulling ahead to the finish line. I'm very proud of my woman for stepping out and doing the race despite not really training for it. She could easily have just sat out, but she did it anyway.<br /><br />I know I've been pretty lax in posting to this blog. I've been training for the Chicago Marathon for the past 2 1/2 months and this was sort of a half-way checkpoint. Considering that in February and early March I couldn't complete a one-mile run, I'd say things are going pretty well. I will try to be more vocal here in the coming months but between the running schedule I'm keeping and my job, there isn't much time left in the day. Thank you to everyone for your encouragement along the way, from DailyMile notes to other words of encouragement, I appreciate them all. Everything is on-schedule for the Oct. 7th race and I'm really looking forward to it - it's going to be quite a challenge.Adam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080633507786567033.post-45112086274373722332012-03-22T12:45:00.002-07:002012-03-22T12:48:04.025-07:00What I've Learned: Injury EditionAs much as it sucks to have to go through a running-related injury, it really is a good opportunity to learn a few things and my most recent injury was no exception. About 6 weeks ago I posted about the ins and outs of IT Band Syndrome and in the intervening time, I've learned several other things about that injury (in particular) and about preventing injury in general.<b>&nbsp;</b><br /><br /><b>#1) Strength Training is Vital.</b><br />I'm not suggesting anyone go out and start doing 'Cross-Fit' tomorrow, that would probably be counter-productive. The goal of strengthening work for a runner is not bigger muscles. The goal is stronger muscles&nbsp; and muscle maintenance. The reason that strength training is so important is because the act of running itself makes certain muscle groups weaker. In particular, runners typically have weak hip muscles (hip abductors and adductors) because most of our running is done in a relatively straight-line and so the outside hip muscles never really get much work. If you think of the space between your hip and the bottom of your foot as a system, all the parts have to kept in good working condition in order for the system to work most efficiently. Any imbalance is going to cause other muscles to have to work harder and that compensation is what leads to injury.<b>&nbsp;</b><br /><br /><b>#2) If you feel pain, take a day or two off. Listen to your body.</b><br />As I've progressed in my experience as a runner, I've become better at this, but this IT Band Syndrome was a good example of me not listening to my body. I ran for at least three days from when I first started feeling pain in my knee instead of taking a day or two off right away to let it die down. Because I ran on it, I quickly progressed from a mild case of ITBS to a severe case and that meant 6 weeks on the DL.<b>&nbsp;</b><br /><br /><b>#3) Shoes are important.</b><br />I'm not about to re-join the Great Shoe Debate, but my thoughts have changed with regards to footwear. I still don't think that shoes can prevent injury. By that I mean, if you have bad form (heel-striker, over-pronator, etc) shoes will not fix the problem. However I now believe that if you good form, a shoe can injure you. I wish that I had gone to a shoe store that had the technology to take a good look at my gait. Most running specialty stores have this nowadays and if I had done that, I likely would not have ended up getting an arch-support shoe and would have instead opted for a neutral shoe, thus preventing this whole thing. Go get your gait checked if you haven't already. Most of these stores offer it for free and it's easy to do.<b>&nbsp;</b><br /><br /><b>#4) Have a mind-set that is long-term.</b><br />As I got closer and closer to the date of the New York Half, I seriously questioned whether it was a good idea for me to attempt to run the race. The simple fact was that I hadn't been able to train properly for it and risked re-aggravating everything by attempting to do it. In the back of my mind I knew that the real goal was to run the Chicago Marathon next fall and that compromising that to simply participate in a half marathon seemed foolish. If it hadn't been for a couple of 100% pain free training runs during the week leading up to the half, I likely would not have run it. I could have tried but it wouldn't have been worth it to me. As much as it would have sucked to sit out, my goal is a) to run pain free and b) to complete a marathon.<b>&nbsp;</b><br /><br /><b>#5) Find people you can talk to about it (other runners).</b><br />For me this was a life-saver. Between my wife, my buddy Stephen and my brother (among others) - I had people to talk to about the injury, to ask me how I was doing, to share the disappointment with and to ultimately share the triumph with when I was able to complete the race. I'll never forget when I had that first pain-free training run...I raced home and then immediately started calling people who'd stuck with me through the whole thing. It was really great to have support around to deal with the disappointment and setbacks.<b>&nbsp;</b><br /><br /><b>#6) Keep doing research.</b><br />From the time that the pain started to when it finally went away, I was scouring the internet for answers. I was telling Stephen that I now know more about ITBS than I ever cared to know. I've talked to people about it, I've had runners I know talk to other runners they know about it, I've spent hours combing websites for information and I've learned a lot. For example, you cannot stretch the IT Band. It is connected to the muscles of your hip (tensor fasciae latae) and to the top of the tibia. You can't stretch your IT Band any more than you can bend your femur. You can stretch the muscles around it, but that's as good as you're going to get. Also, despite the fact that ITBS sufferers often feel the pain in their knee, the real problem isn't in the knee, it's usually above or below in the hip or feet.<b>&nbsp;</b><br /><br /><b>#7) Keep your head up.</b><br />By accident I stumbled upon a blog entry a few months ago (before all this started) that said something along the lines of, "no matter what running injury you have, eventually it will go away." I wish I could link you to the blog post, but I can't seem to find it. Anyway - it's easy to get really down and the longer an injury wears on, the more it seems like maybe you'll never run again. Try to be positive and try to find other things that you can do. For me it was pool running, biking, lifting, swimming, etc.<br /><br />I'm sure what I've had to say is nothing new under the sun. Being injured sucks but it's also a good opportunity to learn and if you're a blogger it's a good chance to learn and share that knowledge with other people. I was surprised to come across a couple of people that were also suffering with ITBS and it was really cool to be able to share things with them regarding what was and wasn't working.Adam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080633507786567033.post-38765652618325010032012-03-21T13:03:00.000-07:002012-03-21T13:03:30.103-07:00Race Report: New York Half MarathonI feel like I got away with something. Or stole something.<br /><br />If you follow me on <a href="http://www.dailymile.com/people/AdamK21">DailyMile</a>, you know I've been going through a bout of IT Band-itis for the past month-and-a-half or so and that up until a week before this past Sunday's race, my ability to run this race was in serious question. That all changed in a matter of 5 days and on Sunday I was able to not only start the race, but run almost the entire thing and finish in a time I would never have thought possible considering how little I had trained.<br /><br />The morning of the race was literally PERFECT. 48 degrees, 80% humidity, cloudy and little to no wind. Cool but not too dry, and cloudy...I don't think you could arrange more perfect conditions. We dropped off our stuff at the bag drops just outside of Central Park and headed to our corrals. Because I hadn't been able to properly train for the race, I knew I wasn't going to be able to keep up with my originally scheduled corral so I decided to start with my wife Leslie who was also running her first half marathon. After hitting up the bathrooms, we stood around and waited for the start...and then the gun went off.<br /><br />And we waited.<br /><br />And we waited.<br /><br />And then we started walking towards the start line. It took us a full 28+ minutes to get to the start line and then we were off. The cool part about waiting so long to start was that the race leaders were emerging from Central Park just as we were starting so we actually got the see the leaders run by. I've never seen an elite runner in real life...I guess I would describe them as "gazelles". Effortless running.<br /><br />Anyway, the first few miles were easy and breezy. I ran the first one with Leslie and then took off on my own, constantly dodging other runners. I figured that eventually the crowd would thin and I would be able to run, more or less, in straight lines, but that never happened. Miles 1 through 4 were pretty uneventful aside from one thing that will be burned into the eyes of my mind for as long as I live.<br /><br />In between miles 3 and 4 I was innocently running along when I started to hear people yelling around me. I looked up from the pavement to see what was going on and I saw a guy climb the hill, turn so that his backside was facing the runners, pull down his pants and take a shit. Everyone was yelling "that's sick" or "duuude". I'm not gonna lie, I saw poop coming out of his butt. I can't un-see it. I had to kind of chuckle because I doubt if I will ever see something like that again. Couldn't you at least face your butt away from the crowd?<br /><br />"The pain" started in between miles 4 and 5. It was that familiar IT Band pain that I'd been having for the past 6 weeks. It wasn't really pain as much as it was discomfort, but I immediately started trying to think of ways to alleviate it. I started by walking the downhills in Central Park, but it really wasn't getting any better. It also wasn't really get any worse either so during mile 5 I made a decision. I thought to myself, "I haven't trained for 6 weeks and I have no idea how this thing is going to hold up. I also know that it's going to be a major bitch to run/walk the final 8 miles." So I went for it. I just started running at a faster pace and figured that I would just keep it up for as long as I could. Miles 6, 7, and 8 went by and before I knew it, I was through Times Square and onto the Westside Highway. I made it to mile 9 and was petering out a bit. I walked a short stretch and for some reason, I kept thinking, "come on, you've only got 3 miles left." That, of course, was wrong.<br /><br />Mile 10 of my race was dedicated to Keith Faxel, the husband of my wife's boss, who is an avid runner and has been sidelined by sinus issues for the last several months. He's also had a run of bad luck in his personal life and so I told him before I left that I would run mile 10 for him. After mile 10, the rest of the race is kind of a blur. I remember thinking after mile 12 that "hey, this is the longest I've ever run in my life." I must have been really motivated at the very end of the race because I finished the last .1 miles at a 6:24 pace. After I crossed the finish line, I got really emotional because I was so thankful to have gotten to that point. A week before I had been telling my mom that I thought it would be a miracle if I was able to run the race.<br /><br />My splits for the race are below. I think it's pretty obvious where I walked. I was telling my wife that the race result is bittersweet. I'm beyond thankful that I was able to run and complete the race. The part that gets me down is the question of what it could have been had I been able to train for it. 1:30? 1:25? I know there will be future half marathons, but this was my first and more than feeling like I accomplished anything, I feel like I got away with something. I'm really looking forward to getting back into training and my next big thing is the Chicago Marathon in October which I will begin training for soon.<br /><br /><b>Mile 1:</b> 8:53&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <b>Mile 8:</b> 6:56<br /><b>Mile 2:</b> 7:59&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <b>Mile 9:</b> 7:36<br /><b>Mile 3:</b> 7:30&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <b>Mile 10:</b> 8:07<br /><b>Mile 4:</b> 8:07&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <b>Mile 11:</b> 7:34<br /><b>Mile 5:</b> 9:32&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <b>Mile 12:</b> 7:32<br /><b>Mile 6:</b> 7:27&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <b>Mile 13:</b> 9:18<br /><b>Mile 7:</b> 6:54&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <b>Total Time:</b> 1:45:02Adam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080633507786567033.post-7525863385047913582012-02-06T13:25:00.000-08:002012-02-06T13:39:45.294-08:00Aw Snap (VO2Max News)"Whoa snap yo." That's what my friend Stephen said when I showed him <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/fitness/exercise/fitness-research/the-brains-the-boss-when-it-comes-to-oxygen-uptake/article2325663/">this piece</a> about a new-fangled way of measuring VO2Max that is making some scientists scratch their heads. Thank you to <a href="http://sweatscience.com/when-vo2max-isnt-max/">Sweat Science</a> for leading me to this article. Very interesting stuff.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oqwMPwBxhmQ/TzBFQZ3IBDI/AAAAAAAAAeg/dVm3wuld7Mk/s1600/runner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oqwMPwBxhmQ/TzBFQZ3IBDI/AAAAAAAAAeg/dVm3wuld7Mk/s320/runner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Adam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080633507786567033.post-56698515396477650462012-02-05T11:57:00.000-08:002012-02-05T11:57:28.238-08:00IT Band-terSorry for the title - I'm trying too hard to be clever. This post is about the IT Band and, more to the point, IT Band Syndrome which is my latest injury. My training for the New York Half Marathon had been going great up until last Tuesday when I started to notice some very slight pain on the outside of my left knee. I didn't think much of it -- I'm pretty clumsy sometimes and end up hitting my knee on things like the living room table, so I figured it might just be a bruise from such an incident. On Wednesday the pain got worse, but it still didn't rise to a level where I was all that concerned about it. On Thursday I had a speed workout planned and the farther I ran, the more it hurt...but then at a certain point the pain disappeared and I thought, "hey, maybe it's gone." Then I got off the treadmill...and I could barely walk - it was a very sharp pain that hurt even when I was gingerly walking along. It killed to walk down steps, it killed whenever I would get up out of a chair, it was tender to the touch. It was then that I thought I should probably do some investigation so I went to the trusty interwebs and learned more than I cared to know about IT Band Syndrome.<br /><br />If you've been a runner for any longer period of time, IT Band Syndrome is not a new term in your vocabulary. It is one of the most common running injuries and is caused by a wide variety of factors. The IT Band (iliotibial band) is actually a very long tendon that runs from your hip to your knee and IT Band Syndrome is essentially a "tendonitis" of sorts -- an inflammation of that tendon. It can be caused by an IT Band that is too wide or too narrow (genetic), it can be caused by overuse (most common) and it can be caused by faulty running mechanics (excessive over-pronation, etc). The most common cause, as I said, is overuse and by that I mean an increase in miles or intensity of training that is done too quickly. In my case I thought I was being somewhat conservative in my training, but as I look back at it - along with a marked increase in miles was an ambitious increase in intensity which I think it what did me in.<br /><br />The number one treatment for IT Band Syndrome is a runner's least favorite word -- and that's rest. I hate that word. Rest is a euphemism for "don't run" and I feel like with every passing day that I don't run, I'm losing valuable training time. I have just over 6 weeks until the New York Half and I really want to be in tip-top shape. That being said, it is nearly impossible to run with this pain and I would really like to be rid of it before I continue with my training schedule. Fortunately for me, there are a number of things I can do to help speed my recovery.<br /><br /><b>#1) Ice. </b>A runner's best friend. Almost every article I've read on IT Band issues suggests making icing a priority. 15-20 minutes, 3 times a day (at least).<br /><b><br /></b><br /><b>#2) Use a foam-roller.</b> I didn't have one prior to Friday, but my wife and I bought one and I've been using it ever since. There's a good video on how to use it specifically for the IT Band <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9aJtO0VCqw">here on YouTube</a>.<br /><br /><b>#3) Stretch it out.</b> There are a couple of good stretches in that video as well, but if you do a quick Google search on IT Band stretches, there are many and stretching is key to loosening up your IT Band. IT Band Syndrome is a result of that Band being extremely tight.<br /><br /><b>#4) Strength Training.</b> As I've read, it's probably not a good idea to start strength training if you're still having pain - but once the pain goes away, the key to preventing future IT Band issues is to strengthen a few key muscle groups. Many of us runners, myself included, can be tempted to completely neglect strength training. This can lead to a whole host of issues and one of them is IT Band Syndrome. Runners tend to be weak in predictable areas and one of those areas is the hips. For more information on specific strength training that can be done to prevent IT Band issues, <a href="http://strengthrunning.com/2011/01/it-band-injury/">read this article</a>.<br /><br />My pain has slowly decreased over the past few days to the point where I may try a get short run tomorrow. I've been icing when I can, foam-rolling a few times a day and stretching. I also was looking around online and found this handy little tool, called the <a href="http://pattstrap.com/pattstrap-counter-force-knee-strap-p-28.html">Patt Strap</a>, that I'm hoping will also help. I just bought it today so I'll let you know if it works (or even helps). I'm hopeful that this injury won't sideline me for long, though I am prepared to take the necessary time off in the event that the self-therapy I've been using proves ineffective. I know that this is the type of injury that can linger for a long time if not addressed and in my mind, that would be the worst-case scenario. I would love to hear from any of you out there who've also had experience with this injury to know what helped (or didn't help) you overcome it. Cheers.Adam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080633507786567033.post-25558085887668692002012-02-03T15:09:00.000-08:002012-02-03T15:09:15.281-08:00Quiz -- Yay.I have to credit my wife for finding quiz - and for finding the <a href="http://rungingerfoxxxrun.blogspot.com/">Run GingerFoxxx, Run</a> blog and the super-cool <a href="http://chirunblog.blogspot.com/">Chicago Running Blogs</a> page. 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table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> --><b><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Why do you run?</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">The first thing that popped into my mind was, "because I'm good at it". I guess if I wasn't good at running, I probably wouldn't have stuck with it...that's become a secondary reason though. I would say that now I run because a) it helps me relieve stress, b) it helps me focus my energy and c) I love racing.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">What other athletic things do you enjoy?</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">I enjoy watching almost all sports (except NBA basketball). I love to play golf and I love to be outside in general (hiking, camping).</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Where did you grow up?</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">Brooklyn Park, MN - northwest suburb of Minneapolis, MN&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Why do you currently live where you do?</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">Interesting question - I met my wife Leslie when we were in college and she was a couple of years behind me in school. I knew when I graduated that I wanted to marry her so I stuck around, got a job here and have been here ever since. We bought our first house last April so now we're stuck here in a way.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Where is your favorite place in the world?</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">I love being wherever the people I love in this world are. I love being at home with my wife, I love spending time with her and my families and I love spending time with our friends.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Do you know how to do something that not everyone can do?</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">I can play the cello? Does that count?</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">What foods do you hate?</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">Papayas, they taste like garbage.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">What kind of car do you drive, and why did you buy it?</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">I drive a black 2009 Kia Optima. I bought it because it got good gas mileage, it looks decent and it was in our price range.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Have you ever quit anything? Why?</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">I've quit things yes - the reason was that I wanted to make myself a better, more productive person.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">What was your major? If you could go back in time, would you pick something else? (If you didn't go to college, what would you major in if you did?)</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">My major was Psychology - I started out as a Cello Performance major but switched. If I could go back, I would go for Business, Finance or some other pursuit where your degree can actually be used for something. I loved studying psychology - but my degree is pretty worthless otherwise.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Where did you go to college? Why? (And if you didn't go, why?)</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">Went to Wheaton College. At the time I was applying I thought I wanted to get into Music, and I liked the cello professor at Wheaton the best, he ended up leaving after my freshman year and I ended up leaving the Conservatory.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"></span></div>Adam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080633507786567033.post-14616000305678619832012-01-30T14:32:00.000-08:002012-01-30T14:32:34.165-08:00Restoring Faith in HumanityThis isn't really a running related post. This past Saturday I had the privilege of serving at a food pantry with a group from my church and I wanted to share some thoughts on it.<br /><br />Several weeks ago someone in our small group at church had the good idea of serving at a local food pantry and it was just the kind of opportunity I'd been looking for. I don't know how many of you out there have looked on your own for volunteer opportunities before, but they can be awfully hard to find at an individual level. Volunteer organizations (Samaritan's Purse, Operation Christmas Child, Feed my Starving Children, etc) typically only accommodate groups of people so unless you're involved with a bigger group, it can be hard to find places to plug in. Anyway, I digress. We showed up at the <a href="http://www.peoplesrc.org/">People's Resource Center</a> in Wheaton, IL on Saturday morning which, despite having gone to school mere blocks from this place for 4 years, I never even knew was there. PRC exists to help people in DuPage County by providing them with everything from food to computer and job training classes. Their food pantry is open almost everyday and anyone in the county can come and gather a load of groceries, no questions asked. PRC gets it's donations from individuals and business in the area and is also a member of the <a href="http://www.northernilfoodbank.org/">Northern Illinois Food Bank</a> which gathers food from all areas of the state and distributes it to food pantries all over the state. The goal of the pantry is to provide people with food so that the money they might have otherwise spent on groceries can be freed up to be spent on other things like rent, medication, etc. <br /><br />There were already people lined up waiting for food at 8:30am and after a short-orientation on how the whole process works, we were quickly busy helping people fill their shopping carts with food. During orientation, the leader asked for volunteers for various jobs and when there was an opportunity to work outside, my hand shot up. Sure it was only 25 degrees out and sure there was a biting northwest wind, but hey, the sun was out and being outside is almost always better than being inside. Besides, I had gloves, a coat and a hat. A handful of others joined me and our job for the subsequent 4 hours was to help people bring their food to their cars, load it into the car and take the cart back so another person could go through the line. It was a pretty simple job - nothing flashy.<br /><br />In observing the people coming through the line, it was fairly obvious that many of these people are quite poor. It's probably not a stretch to assume that many of these people work tough and thankless jobs just trying to get by. Several of the families looked to be immigrant families and perhaps do not have jobs. I thought the coolest part of my job was that for a few minutes on a Saturday morning, I got to serve these people who are often likely the ones tirelessly serving other people and their own families. I'm just guessing, but I would imagine it takes a certain swallowing of one's pride to go to the food pantry and I made it my mission to make those people feel loved and appreciated.<br /><br />More to the point of my post, helping at PRC really restored some of my faith in humanity. For one thing, there were a TON of volunteers there. Everyone did their best to stay busy, but often there were more than enough hands to help out on a given task. Also, the pantry was absolutely FULL to the brim with donated food. There was canned food stacked in boxes along the wall waiting to be used, the bread bins were overflowing and there was even some food being kept outside (so as to keep it cold and out of the way) until it could be used. During the 4 hours that we were outside, I would estimate that about 8-10 cars pulled up with donations of clothing or food. One guy stopped by and said that a group at his kid's school had conducted a food drive the night before and he was there to drop off several bags of canned goods and other items. A pickup truck pulled up and had a flat-bed full of food, flowers and other frozen goods from the local <a href="http://www.traderjoes.com/">Trader Joe's</a>. Another van pulled up with bread from Panera....and that was just in one morning.<br /><br />More than helping the people - it was nice to see all of the generosity around. Every day I talk to people who are all about themselves. To be honest, I'm all about myself a lot of the time. You see road-rage, rudeness, bickering on TV, the back-and-forth in modern-day politics, the "if it bleeds, it leads" mentality in the media...that all gets exhausting. It's life-sucking. But this, this was life-giving and left there with more energy than when I came. Other people is what life is about, helping other people, putting them first, giving the extra that you have to make up for the deficit that others face. I plan on going back to PRC - I found out that they don't just operate with groups, you can show up any day of the week and help. Sounds good to me.<br /><i><br /></i><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"</i> -- Matthew 6:26</div>Adam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080633507786567033.post-31904928292433014672012-01-12T19:17:00.000-08:002012-01-12T19:17:33.339-08:00Back in the SaddleIt's been too long - this always seems to happen, I get all excited about blogging and for a few weeks I post and post and post...and then real-life gets in the way and I disappear for awhile. In my defense, I took about a 3 week break from running so there wasn't much running-related material to talk about. Over the break Leslie and I found out that we won spots into the New York City Half Marathon which was pretty exciting once I got over the sticker shock ($128pp...yikes). Anyway, the best part of this whole thing is that our friends Stephen and Emily from NJ also won spots in the race so all four of us are running the race together. Personally I'm probably more excited just to hang out with them for a weekend than I am to run in the actual race (though that is also exciting).<br /><br />Once we found out, I immediately set about formulating a training plan to prepare for the race. If you've read this blog before, you know that I've been reading Jack Daniels' book (Daniels' Running Formula) and throughout the book he gives training templates for races of various distances. I was hoping to find a half-marathon training template, but alas, I had to settle for a marathon program - which I then modified to suit my needs. The basic premise of Daniels' training formula is that two days out of every week are devoted to what he calls "Quality" (Q) workouts. For longer distances one of the Q days is devoted to a long run, usually done on either a Saturday or a Sunday, and the other Q day is typically devoted to a speed workout. The rest of the days in the training schedule are devoted to easy-to-moderate running with an emphasis on getting miles in and letting your body recover from the Q days.<br /><br />I decided to start the program pretty conservatively with a couple of weeks of fairly low mileage since I was coming off of a 3-week break. I didn't want to jump in and immediately start tallying 30-40 miles a week so as to avoid injury, while at the same time getting my body used to running on a regular basis again. So far I've really enjoyed the structure of it. I've noticed that I really anticipate the Q workouts because for the rest of the time, it feels like I'm really holding back...the quality workouts are really my only chance each week to "let it fly." I really like knowing exactly what I am going to be doing each day because it takes a lot of the guesswork out of training and really focuses me on what it is I'm trying to accomplish.<br /><br />My goal for the NY Half is 1:30:00. Not to toot my own horn, but I feel like it's an ambitious goal because a) I've never raced (let along run) that distance before and b) to run sub-7:00/mile for 13.1 miles would be equal to the pace of my fastest 10K to date. That being said, I am confident that if I stick to this training program and keep my end goal in mind throughout - I will be able to do it.<br /><br />Leslie chose a different training program which I also find interesting; she is using Hal Higdon's Intermediate Half Marathon training program which is very similar to the Daniels' formula. My brother is currently training for another marathon and he's using The Hansons' method which emphasizes the consistency of your training (i.e. maintaining high weekly mileage totals throughout the course of the program). I'm struck by how many different ideas are out there on how to train for longer distance races. I don't tend to think that any one program is better than another, but from person to person one may work better than another.<br /><br />Long-term my goal is to run in the Chicago Marathon this coming fall. With that in mind I tailored my training program for slightly higher weekly-mileage totals than is probably normal for half marathon training. The idea behind the higher mileage is that I over the course of the next 10 weeks or so I will get my body used to running 35-40 miles per week which is pretty much the starting point for marathon training. I'm very pleased with how this year has started in terms of running and I'm excited to see how my body responds to this program.<br /><br />I would love to hear about other people's programs and goals. If you're a veteran of longer races, how did you figure out which program was best for you? Did you seek out a program or develop one on your own based on experience?Adam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080633507786567033.post-37566746464312018632011-11-29T14:10:00.000-08:002011-11-29T14:10:39.549-08:00The Off-Season & an AnnouncementI was walking the dog yesterday morning and I was surrounded by flakes of snow gently falling around me. I was thinking, "well, this is probably it." I had made plans to run a 5K with my brother over the holiday weekend, but it didn't work out and with temperatures now routinely topping out in the low-40s or below, I don't see myself running any more races within the next couple of months. The off-season has officially begun.<br /><br />It was a good inaugural season of running. Four 5Ks and a 10K to get things kicked off - I ran a faster time in each of the 5Ks I did and I set the bar a reasonable level with my first 10K. Best of all, I learned to be able to train efficiently and intelligently and laid down a nice miles base to use as a spring board for next year. As of today I passed 80 miles for the month of November marking the 6th consecutive 80+ mile month and 7th 80+ mile month this year. There could have been others, but I wasn't really consistent in my documentation of miles until about June. My high for miles in a month was 116 in October - though that was quickly followed by a back injury that put me on the sidelines for a week. In total I've run about 650 miles, biked about 50 miles and swam about 20 miles over the last 8 months and I'm pretty proud of that. For a guy who was used to doing pretty much whatever I wanted for workouts, I'm proud of the discipline, I'm proud of the focus and I'm proud of the perseverance it took to get to this this point...and I plan on carrying this over into next year.<br /><br />For me the off-season will probably start in a few days. I plan on taking a good 2-3 weeks off of running, which will be hard, but necessary. During those weeks I will still be active in the gym, but I will be focusing on strengthening my core and legs. In addition to that, I will be planning out my running year for 2012...which will include...big announcement here, <b>my first marathon</b>. I got the itch while watching the 2011 Chicago Marathon and now I've decided I want to do one. My brother (<a href="http://www.dailymile.com/people/TonyK9">Tony K.</a>) sent me a nice note yesterday and said that if I wanted to do CM12, he would do it with me. My wife (<a href="http://www.dailymile.com/people/LeslieK6">Leslie K.</a>) has been encouraging me to do it too and now I'm making it official -- barring something unforeseen, I will be running a marathon in 2012 (likely the Chicago Marathon). Anyway, my plan is to get really detailed with regard to my running schedule. I plan on using one (or a few) of Jack Daniels' training plans in putting together a day-by-day training schedule. In my ideal world, I'd like to run a handful of 5Ks, a couple of 10Ks, a couple of half-marathons and a marathon next year, topping out at about 10-12 races for the year.<br /><br />So I'm excited, I'm excited about what next year holds, I'm excited to share it with other runners I know and I'm excited to set goals and achieve them. It's been a great year and I think next year will be even better.Adam Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460938738580518447noreply@blogger.com2